Fallen Angels Can't Fly
by Jewel of Hell
Summary: Kairi and Riku find an injured Sora in the middle of nowhere. He has no memories. They decide to help him, only they get far more than they bargained for as Sora is not what he seems . . . Rating may change
1. Chapter 1

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** This is my first KH fic! I welcome all feedback, so long as it's constructive. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_They say it's a long, long fall to the earth. Only the Darkness can make Angels fall. Fallen Angels will always be hunted by the Dark. And Angels cannot return to Heaven alone. Because Fallen Angels can't fly._

_-_

_His heart pounds painfully loud in his ears. Dear God, it must be trying to beat free from his chest. It hurts. In fact, everything hurts. What happened to the light? When did it get so dark? Why did it get so dark? Where is he? Oh, God, he can't remember anything. Not his name, not where he's from. His back is on fire. What happened to him? Why can't he remember? He's scared. He wants someone to help him. Only he can't move. He can't open his mouth to cry for help. He can't bear it and blacks out._

- - - - - - - -

"God, I will be so glad when finals are over," Kairi groaned, flinging herself down on her bed.

The dorm's only other occupant, Riku, looked up from his Physics textbook. "Stop whining. You've got it easy."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Just because I'm into dancing and music and you want to be a freaking rocket scientist," she teased. "Besides, theatre is demanding. I never sleep. At least your classes keep _normal_ hours."

Riku yawned. "Maybe. But all the time I spend studying makes up for the difference."

"Whatever," Kairi scoffed. "You never study. You spend all your time partying." She hopped back to her feet. "C'mon. Let's go for a walk. I'm bored."

Dropping his pen, ever amenable to her whims, Riku rose to his feet. "Sure. We can make a run down to the store. I could use some caffeine."

Kairi opted against pointing out it was one in the morning—they should both be in bed, not pumping up on caffeine. But it was Friday night, so what did it matter anyway? She paused only to grab her jacket and the pair strolled off the campus into the chilly night.

A trillion stars glittered brightly in the sky, complimenting the pale silvery glow of the moon. Kairi sucked in a huge lungful of crisp air, smiling faintly. God how she loved the night. Everything was softer in the night, cleaner and less . . . hostile.

"You'll do fine, you know," Riku said abruptly, startling her.

She turned her dark eyes on him. "What?"

"On your finals. You'll be fine. You'll knock 'em dead. You always do."

That brought a grin to her face. She glomped Riku's arm, hugging it tight. "Thanks, Riku. You're a great friend."

She saw his crooked grin. They'd been best friends since childhood, sharing everything. Neither of them had any siblings, and as the only child of rich parents they were spoiled and lonely. Since meeting, they did everything together.

"Look," Riku said softly, pointing. "What's that?"

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Kairi looked where he indicated. "Oh my god," she said with a frown, "is that . . . a person?" She broke into a jog, hearing Riku follow her.

It was, indeed, a person. White as sheet, a boy their own age or maybe a little younger lay near some shrubs. Quickly kneeling by his side, Kairi checked for a pulse. She heaved a relieved sigh when her fingers found one. Her eyes located a deep gash at his temple.

Riku, meanwhile, pushed the boy's white shirt up to reveal hideous bruises all over his chest and sides. At his prompting she carefully rolled him onto his side. Riku made a grim noise.

"More. All over his back."

"Do you think he was attacked?" Kairi asked quietly, unable to help the worry. This boy really had an angelic face. She wondered what color his eyes were.

"More than likely," Riku said, equally quiet. "I didn't bring my cell phone. Did you?"

She shook her head.

"Damn," Riku muttered. "All right, maybe he's light enough I can carry him back to the dorms. It's not that far, and he's pretty skinny."

Nodding, Kairi stood to move out of his way. The moment Riku's hand touched the boy, he groaned and stirred. His eyes opened, and Kairi momentarily wished there was enough light to see the color.

"What . . ." he boy croaked. His voice was very dry. Coughing, he tried again. "Who are you?"

Riku sat back on his heels. "Riku," he replied. "This is Kairi. What happened to you?"

The boy's eyes slid shut. "I . . . don't know . . . I only remember . . . falling . . ."

Kairi leaned forward and touched Riku's shoulder, feeling a sense of urgency. Riku nodded.

"You're hurt pretty bad," he said. "Can you stand?"

In response, the boy rolled into a sitting position. He closed his eyes, breathing hard though his nose. "I-I think so," he gasped.

Riku lifted his arm and slid it around his shoulder. Kairi quickly went to the boy's other side, mimicking her friend. At Riku's nod they slowly rose. Between them the boy started panting, tiny whimpers escaping him at times. He managed to stay upright, though. The pair began slowly walking him back to the dorms.

It took a long time. The boy couldn't walk very fast, and sometimes they practically dragged him. They took him to Kairi's dorm—it was closer on the ground floor. Riku's was on the fourth, and she didn't think he could take stairs right now. They lowered him onto her bed, and she could see he was barely conscious.

"We've got to get him to the hospital," Riku said, gesturing toward her desk. "Where's your cell phone? I'll call."

Nodding, Kairi rose to find it. However, the movement stirred their unexpected guest into action. He grabbed Kairi's hand. His eyes were huge as he gasped for breath, shaking his head. In this light she could finally see the color. They were bluer than the sky, deeper than oceans.

"Don't," he choked. "I can't . . . you're all I know . . ."

Kairi sat back beside him, cradling his hand in both hers. "What do you mean?"

Seeing she wasn't immediately leaving, he calmed again. "I . . . can't remember anything," he told her. "I don't even know who I am."

Astonished, Kairi looked up at Riku. His expression mirrored hers. Finally she looked back down at the boy, who'd fallen asleep. She sighed. It was going to be a long weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

When he opened his eyes, it was with a small sense of accomplishment. He remembered something. In retrospect, it was a very small thing. But it was a very important thing just the same. A name. His name.

"Sora," he whispered, wishing his throat wasn't so dry. "My name is Sora."

"Nice to meet you, Sora," came an unexpected reply.

He started. Pain flared in his body, starting a coughing fit. Moments later cool hands were soothing him, pressing a glass against his lips. He managed to swallow some water, and that helped.

"Easy," came the voice again. Female.

He remembered it from last night. He opened his eyes to peer into dark brown depths. "Kairi, right?" he said, voice failing.

She smiled brightly. "That's right," she said encouragingly. "Did you remember anything while you slept?"

He shook his head, letting his eyes fall shut. "Just my name. I wish I could remember . . . why I hurt this bad. How I got hurt."

"Well, I wish that too!" Kairi said, grinning. "It's not every day cute boys just fall out of the sky covered in bruises. I bet that bump on your head is the reason for your amnesia. Riku still thinks we ought to take you to a hospital."

Sora shook his head vigorously. He didn't know why he didn't want to go to a hospital. He only knew the thought frightened him. At the moment, Riku and Kairi were the only two people in the world he knew.

"It's not as bad today as it was yesterday," he assured her.

She smiled. "Good. Are you strong enough to get up? Do you want to take a shower? That would give me time to run to the kitchen and make some breakfast. Riku brought you some clothes earlier you could change into. They'll be too big, though. He's taller than you."

Gingerly sitting up, Sora was pleased to note he was strong enough to stand. Doing so hurt, but he could do it. Kairi pointed to the bathroom, looking pleased as well. When she left, Sora padded into the small room.

Feminine touches were everywhere. After a brief perusal he decided he liked her taste. There was a lot of pink and white, accents in purple and blue. Nothing clashed, and everything fit together nicely. Rummaging in a closet he found a clean towel and stripped out of his plain white clothing.

The horrible discoloration on his body drew his eyes to the mirror. He gasped. Bruises mottled nearly every inch of skin across his chest, waist, and back. There were also bruises across his hips and pelvis.

_God, did I fall a thousand feet? No wonder I ache so much. What happened to me?_ Try as he might, he could not dredge up a single image or memory. His mind was a blank slate. Nearly hissing in irritation, Sora turned his back on the mirror and started the hot water. At least he remembered his name. That was a good start.

He discovered right away he could not shower. The water, even when trickling, beat too hard on his bruised skin. So he settled for a bath, and that felt nice. The heat made his aching muscles relax, and Kairi's shampoo smelled nice. Like an open meadow of flowers.

By the time he dried off with the thick fluffy towel and dressed in Riku's jeans (they were too long) and black tee shirt, Kairi had returned. This time Riku was with her, and he smiled.

"Good morning. Kairi told me you remembered your name. Nice to meet you, Sora. God, you look better."

Kairi smiled, too. "Much. A shower was just what you needed. Hope you like waffles. They're Riku's favorite."

Feeling inexplicably shy, Sora just nodded, sitting down on the bed again. His strength was far from returned. Kairi clucked her tongue.

"Let me put a band-aid on that nasty gash," she said, lightly touching the skin below the wound on his temple. She disappeared in the bathroom for a moment to reemerge with a first-aid kit.

Sora sat still while she dabbed some sort of antiseptic cream onto the wound and gingerly covered it. The cream obviously had some sort of pain-suppressant, because it soothed the stinging.

"There!" she chirped. "All better. Now, do you like jam or syrup on your waffles?"

Not knowing whether he even liked waffles, Sora shrugged, instantly regretting it. "Um, jam I guess," he replied.

She smiled. "Me, too. All right boys, dig in. I made sausages, too."

-

Riku watched Kairi fuss over her new charge with a faint, constant smile. He was a little surprised to find himself completely charmed by Sora. The boy was sweet and innocent, a lot like Kairi herself. He wasn't sure why he wanted to help him so much, but never in his life had he felt so strongly about anything. It just felt _right_.

Someone banged on Kairi's door, startling Riku out of his introspection. Blinking, he turned, not sure he wanted anyone knowing about Sora yet. It would be too . . . awkward. He wouldn't have answers to any questions.

"C'mon you guys," an unmistakable voice drawled from the other side of the door. "We know you're in there. We smelled Kairi's waffles. It's Saturday! Let's do something!"

Rolling his eyes, Riku looked at his best friend. "Your call," he said.

Kairi sighed. Rising, she paced to the door and pulled it open. Roxas, Axel, and Namine stood there. Axel wore his usual Goth black, his flaming red hair spiking at all angles. Roxas had an arm around Namine's waist, and the pale blonde girl looked very cute in a pink dress with long sleeves.

"Sorry," Namine said, grinning contritely. "I tried to hold them off."

Riku caught Kairi's upset glance. She obviously didn't want them knowing about Sora, either. The boy in question looked nervous, eyes flicking back and forth between Kairi and Riku.

But Axel took the decision to shelter him out of their hands. He pushed past Kairi and barged into the room. "All right, Riku, you can't have them for yourself—" he began, but he cut himself off when he saw Sora resting on Kairi's bed. "Well, I'll be damned! Kairi, who is this in your bed? When did you get a boyfriend? He's cuter than butter! I'm Axel. And you are—?"

"Sora," the boy said softly, sounding hopelessly shy, and Riku had to admit it _was_ cute . . .

Axel apparently thought so too. "Sora! Kairi, ain't he a little young for you . . .? And you, Sora! Going for the older girls!" He clapped Sora on the back.

Riku leaped to his feet as Sora went livid, hissing in pain and falling to the side. Axel looked amazed as both Riku and Kairi roughly elbowed him aside.

"Are you all right, Sora?" Kairi said gently, her hands stroking Sora's face—the only part of him not visibly bruised.

"What's wrong with him?" Axel demanded, sounding a little shaky.

"He's hurt, you ass," Riku snapped. "We think he was attacked."

At these words, Namine immediately left Roxas' side to join Kairi. "Where?" she asked her sister.

Kairi made room for her slightly older twin. "Bruises. Everywhere. He can't remember what happened."

-

Namine hummed soothingly as she eased her sister's new friend down onto his back. With delicate fingers she pushed the tee shirt up to expose his stomach and chest. She sucked in a sharp breath, vaguely hearing her boyfriend and his best friend curse.

"That must be painful," she murmured sympathetically. "I have a cream that's supposed to help with bruises if you like, Sora."

His incredibly blue eyes met hers, and he nodded. "Thank you."

She looked at Axel. "You can go get it. You know our door code. It's in the bathroom above the sink."

Axel, looking somewhat subdued, didn't argue for once and quietly left. Namine watched Riku rise and beckon Roxas to follow. Making sure they were gone, she turned to her sister.

"How much of his memory has he lost?"

"All of it," Kairi replied, eyes fixed on Sora, who held her gaze. "He remembered his name this morning, but nothing else."

Namine directed her next question at the boy himself. "Have you had any visions? Flashes?"

"Some," Sora confirmed, "but none of them make any sense. And I don't see anything long enough to even remember what I saw, let alone what it means."

She nodded. "It's best not to try to rush anything," she said, looking at both of them now. "Don't _try_ to remember. Just let it come."

"Namine's taking Psychology courses," Kairi explained to Sora. "Specializing in memory recall."

Sora just nodded, looking worn out.

- - - - - - - -

In Heaven, something was wrong. Horribly, frighteningly wrong. God called a messenger to Him. She bowed low, and He embraced her with His Light.

"What is Your will, Lord of All?" she asked.

"There are dire workings on Earth," He answered. "Bring to me Arch Angels Cloud and Aerith. Hurry, my child. Go with utmost urgency!"

She spread her wings without another word, immediately taking to the skies. He didn't wait long for the two most powerful Angels in Heaven to appear. They landed as one, their long, gleaming wings vanishing. Neither of them bowed, but Arch Angels never did.

"We sensed it, too," Aerith spoke without waiting. Her green eyes were grim. "The Key of Heaven is missing."

"Yes," God confirmed. "The Darkness pulled him to Earth. He fell last night. Cloud, Aerith, I am charging you two with finding him and safely returning him to Heaven. I suppose it need not be said what would happen if the Queen of Darkness found him."

They both shook their heads. "We'll find him," Cloud said, once more spreading his wings. Aerith slipped her hand into his, and the soul-mated pair flew off.

God watched them descend from Heaven. _Find them in time, my warriors. Without him, Heaven will surely fall._


	3. Chapter 3

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

_"Here, Sora, I have a gift for you."_

_Suspended on a bright silver chain is a pendant shaped like a key. The key is unique, with soft edges rather than sharp ones. In the center of the head is a tear-shaped gem the color of the sky. It glitters brightly in the warm light._

_"I wanted it to have special meaning for you, because you are the key."_

_In his dream Sora turns in an effort to see who is speaking. But everything is covered in a strange haze. All he can make out are a pair of endlessly loving eyes._

_He sits alone on a white stone wall. It is comfortable and warm wherever he is, and he wishes never to leave. There is a sense of safety and security. Far below him there is activity, but it is peaceful and calm._

_Then he sees what looks like a pool of darkness. One that grows ever larger. He thinks it must be very deep. It yawns below him, vast and empty. He is afraid of it. He has never seen anything like it in his young life. His hands unconsciously clasp the silver key around his neck._

_And then, just like that, he is falling._

Sora came awake with a strangled cry, flailing out of the blankets entangling him. It took several moments to free himself, then he lay still, panting. Was that a memory or an extremely intense dream? Glancing around, he was surprised to find it once again morning. Yesterday—Saturday, Kairi had called it—had flown by.

Rolling off the bed, he glanced around. Where was Kairi? Making breakfast, maybe? He felt a lot better today. So much better, in fact, it prompted him to return to the bathroom and examine his bruises.

He gasped in shock. They were not even half as visible against his pale skin today. These bruises looked . . . days old. Maybe a week or two. Gingerly peeling away the bandage Kairi had put on his temple, he surprised to see no trace of injury remaining, not even a scar.

He may not have any memories, but somehow he knew that wasn't natural. And that scared him.

"Sora?" came Kairi's sweet, familiar voice.

Sora resisted the urge to run to her, throw his arms around her and hide. "In here," he called, glad his voice didn't shake. Much.

"Okay," she sang. "Take your time. I have to go to a meeting today, so it'll just be you and Riku for awhile. All right?"

"Um, sure," Sora replied, still staring at his skin. Shaking himself out of it, he stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. This time he could barely feel it.

_What am I? This . . . this can't be right._ His fingers unconsciously clasped the key around his neck. Gasping like he'd been burned, he gripped the pendant and stared at it. The blue gem glittered innocuously. It looked exactly the same as in his dream. Perhaps it was a memory then. It was important somehow. He just knew it.

"Sora?"

He jumped. He couldn't help it. His fingers loosened around the key and he slumped against the shower wall. "In here, Riku," he called, unable to help the bleak note in his voice.

Then there was silence. Sora closed his eyes, completely disregarding what Namine had told him yesterday. He didn't want to just wait for his memories to return. He wanted things to make sense. He wanted to know where he was from. Who he really was. Who'd given him the key. What it meant. What all of this meant. Why his bruises looked more than half faded when they should have looked just as bad as—if not worse than—yesterday.

Vigorously he rubbed the heel of his hands over his eyes. _Come on, head. Something! Some images. Faces. Names. Anything!_ His mind remained stubbornly blank. Like a book with empty pages. Feeling at once depressed and angry, he couldn't help the hot tears that streaked down his face.

_God this sucks. What if I never remember? What if I'm like this for the rest of my life?_ That thought was enough to make him grit his teeth and pound his head back against the wall. _No. No! Remember, damn it! Something! _Any_thing!_

"Sora? You okay? I thought I heard a thump."

Riku sounded worried. Guilt washed over Sora. He shouldn't only be thinking of himself. This had to be difficult for the two taking care of him. "I'm fine," he answered, focusing on actually finishing his shower.

When he finally stepped out of the bathroom, Riku was sitting at Kairi's desk working on something. Sora, wearing only the towel wrapped around his waist, waited for Riku to notice him. It took only a few seconds, and when he did he did a double take.

"Oh my god," was his reaction. He rose off his chair. "Sora . . . what the . . . these look days old. At _least_."

Sora nodded miserably. Riku probably thought he was some kind of freak. Wasn't he? After a moment of staring with tight lips, Riku dug into his pocket and pulled out a slender switchblade.

"Don't be nervous," he said in a soothing voice. "I'll be quick."

Starting in alarm, Sora didn't have time to recoil before Riku captured his hand and nicked a small, neat cut on the back. It barely had time to so much as sting and well up a single drop of blood before the cut closed, healed over, and vanished.

Sora jerked his hand away, clutching it tightly to his chest. "I'm sorry, Riku," he gasped, feeling disproportionately frightened.

Riku looked alarmed. "Why are you sorry? God, please don't look so scared, Sora. It's not like I'm going to tell anyone. Well, maybe Kairi, if you want."

"How can you . . . how can . . ." Sora tried, feeling like a giant fist was constricting his chest. He couldn't breathe. "I-I'm a freak! I know it! There's something wrong with me, I know it—"

Grabbing him, Riku crushed Sora against his chest, tucking his head under his chin. "Stop. There's no reason to be afraid, Sora. Your memories will come back. Until then, you have a place right here with me and Kairi. Neither one of us will do anything to hurt you, and I _don't_ care if you can heal really fast."

Sniffing, for some reason greatly calmed by Riku's nearness, Sora made no attempt to free himself. "Why not?" he mumbled.

A slight pause, then, "I don't really know," came the soft reply. Riku's voice was colored by faint amusement. "It's weird, and I can't explain it. I just feel like helping you is the right thing to do."

That _was_ weird, and Sora didn't mind telling Riku so. "That _is_ weird," he said with a tiny laugh, rubbing his face against Riku's soft shirt. The taller boy's warmth seeped into him, making him feel . . . safe.

Riku snorted. "Did I make you feel better?"

"Yes."

"Good. Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

"Good. Kairi made an omelet today. Sound good?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then eat. It's still warm."

- - - - - - - -

Cloud held himself perfectly still, blue-green eyes staring unblinking out over the college campus sprawled before him.

"This is exactly where he fell," Aerith's sweet voice rippled across his senses. "There's blood. He was hurt."

"Badly?" Cloud asked.

"Most likely," she replied. "I don't think he was here long. Someone found him. Two people, I think. It's hard to tell—the lingering images are very hazy."

Finally stirring, Cloud moved to stand by her side. Aerith was right. Everything was hazy. And the young Angel had been badly hurt. He could feel the echo of pain. "The Darkness couldn't have been bad enough to cause him to fall," he said quietly.

"I agree," Aerith murmured, and though her wings were not extended Cloud pictured them quivering. "Are you thinking it was something else?"

Though reluctant, Cloud nodded. "Heartless."

After a moment Aerith sighed. "I had thought so too, but I wished I was the only one." She smiled crookedly. "That I was imagining things."

"Not likely."

Heartless. Beings that had not haunted Earth in almost one-thousand years. It made sense, really, that they should return now. The former Key of Heaven was gone, now, and he was the one who had kept Heaven and Earth safe from them. Sora was the new key of Heaven, of course, but he was very young. His powers were far from fully developed.

"I can't imagine what would happen if Heartless found him before we did." Aerith said that softly, as though she didn't want to put that thought out in the universe.

Cloud didn't blame her. "It might be difficult to find him," he warned.

"I know."

That wasn't going to stop them trying.


	4. Chapter 4

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

_He sits alone on a white stone wall. It is comfortable and warm wherever he is, and he wishes never to leave. There is a sense of safety and security. Far below him there is activity, but it is peaceful and calm._

_Then he sees what looks like a pool of darkness. One that grows ever larger. He thinks it must be very deep. It yawns below him, vast and empty. He is afraid of it. He has never seen anything like it in his young life. His hands unconsciously clasp the silver key around his neck._

_To his horror, he can hear voices. They are very muffled, as though very far away. And though he can pick out no individual words, he can clearly understand the underlying emotion. They are filled with pain. There is so much pain his heart burns with it. Tears sting his eyes, and he cannot help them. He yearns to reach out and touch them, console them, comfort them._

_But they are far away. Who knows if they would even hear him? Or if he could find them? And he is still afraid. The darkness is vast. And it is so completely empty. Rising, he begins to draw away, not wanting to watch it grow any bigger._

_And just like that he is falling._

This time, Sora woke himself crying out. In an instant he was locked in someone's arms, warm lips brushing over his ear.

"It's all right, Sora," Kairi's voice murmured. "Shh. Stop crying. It's all right."

To his distant surprise, Sora realized he was crying. And, less surprising, he was clinging to Kairi. The fear from his dream slowly ebbed beneath her gentle hands. "Sorry," he managed, voice dry and raw. How long had he been crying?

"A few hours, actually," Kairi replied, startling Sora.

Did I say that out loud? "Sorry," he said again.

"It's all right. You've been through a lot."

Suddenly, not sure where it came from, Sora was intensely glad he had her and Riku. What would have happened if they had not found him that night? Where would he be now?

He finally realized where his head was resting—right on the soft curve of her breast. Blushing, he quickly relinquished his hold and slowly sat up. Kairi reached up and brushed his hair back.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah. But . . . don't you have class today?"

"Not for a few hours," she reassured him. "And I'm in class when Riku's done for the day, so you won't ever be alone." She smiled. "Namine told me she wouldn't mind keeping you company either, if both me and Riku have to be somewhere."

Sighing faintly, Sora rubbed his forehead. "Thank you, Kairi," he said quietly. "I really appreciate it. You being here for me."

She rewarded him with a bright smile. "I have a lot of junk in the fridge. If anything looks good, help yourself. I'm going to catch a quick shower. I have just a teeny bit of homework I didn't do over the weekend. I was a little . . . distracted." She winked.

Sora flushed. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Laughing, she pecked a kiss to the tip of his nose. "Don't be. It's been fun taking care of you. Did your dreams mean anything this time?"

Feeling rather despondent, Sora shook his head. She patted his arm.

"Don't worry. It's only a matter of time."

Later, when she sat at her desk working, Sora finished his own shower and perched beside her, too curious to keep quiet. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, doing some research on the internet," she replied, sounding distracted.

"What's that?" he asked, head canting to the side.

Blinking, she looked up at him. "You don't know what the internet is?"

Wondering if that was weird, he slowly shook his head.

But Kairi's amazed stare held no scorn. "Oh, you'll love it. Here, sit. Look, this is Google. It's a search-engine. Type something in, and see what comes up."

Brimming with wonder, Sora typed in memory loss and watched the internet go wild.

-

"How's he doing?" Riku asked, dropping his backpack by the door when Kairi let him in.

She giggled. "I've created a monster. He didn't know what the internet was until this morning, and now I can't drag him away."

Riku snorted. "I will. I wanted to take him outside. Maybe go somewhere. How . . . are his injuries?"

Kairi nodded slowly. "They're completely gone. It's incredible. It still makes him nervous, though."

"I'll reassure him, then." He squeezed her arm as she moved past him. "Enjoy class."

"I'm sure. Have fun with Sora. Don't keep him out too late!" She waved over her shoulder as she dashed down the hall.

Smiling, Riku closed the door and moved to the computer. Sora was clicking through pictures of what looked like tropical retreats. Riku dropped his hands to the boy's shoulders and squeezed.

"Are you having fun?"

Sora jumped a little. "This internet is amazing. There are some really pretty places on Earth. I've learned a lot. Today is Monday, the twenty-third of October. It's the year twenty-two-hundred-thirteen, and we're in a place called the United States of America. This is one of the top ten most prestigious universities in the world, and we're in a state called North Carolina."

For some reason, this mini-monologue amused Riku. "At least it's good for something. Come on, you junkie. I want to take you somewhere."

Sora rose from his seat at once, completely disregarding the computer. "Okay. I'm hungry. Can we eat something?"

"Sure. I'll take you out to eat." To make it up to Kairi, he promised himself they would all go out together as soon as she was able. That ought to mollify her.

He took Sora on the walk he and Kairi had begun two nights ago. Sora stayed right beside him, chattering happily about everything he'd learned on the internet. Once Riku's initial amusement wore off, he grimaced inwardly. Sora's memories must have been devastated—he couldn't name a single country in this world. He found himself wondering where the boy had come from, and how old he was. He only looked sixteen, two years younger than Riku himself.

"I don't suppose you've remembered anything, have you?" he asked when Sora paused for breath.

Sora's angelic face fell. "No. I've tried, Riku. There's just . . . nothing. I mean, I know Namine told me not to, but . . . I want to remember. Who I am. But . . . nothing comes."

Riku lightly tousled his hair. "Don't worry, it will. In the meantime, where do you want to go for lunch? What sounds good?"

"Umm," Sora said, "I don't know. What do you like?"

Riku smiled. "Sushi. Let me take you to a sushi bar. Japanese food is better than American."

"Are you . . . Japanese?" Sora asked, head tilting to the side.

It was adorable. Smiling, Riku nodded. "Me and Kairi and her sister all came here to go to school. It's been a great ride so far."

"What are you studying?" Sora asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Riku paused before answering. Wearing Riku's clothes (which were too big), Sora looked hopelessly innocent. His eyes were so open. They hid nothing, reserved no judgment. It was startling, worrisome, and humbling all at the same time. Sora looked absolutely guileless, as though he knew not the existence of deceit let alone its definition. The kind of person of whom advantage could easily be taken.

I'm glad we found him and no one else, Riku thought, not for the first time. "I'm getting into biochemistry," he answered at length. "It's an interesting field."

"What's biochemistry?" Sora wanted to know, his bright eyes holding nothing but genuine curiosity.

Grinning faintly, Riku began his explanation.

- - - - - - - -

Aerith agreed they should split up. She took one half of the school while Cloud took the other. He didn't think they'd find Sora in the school. But if there was anyone in the school who'd seen his face, he would know. The frequency of their thoughts would draw any Angel like a beacon.

The university was big. There were students and classes everywhere. Cloud lingered around each long enough to determine whether they could help before moving on. He was about to track Aerith down and ask her if she'd had any luck when suddenly he passed someone on the right thought frequency.

Whirling, Cloud's eyes quickly scanned the nearby students. A couple of classes had obviously just released—they were milling about again. And there, walking away from him hand-in-hand, went a young pair. After a split second of indecision, Cloud opted for following them at a discreet distance in favor of approaching them now.

They left the college together, heading for the student dorms. Moving quickly, Cloud intercepted them and met them in the quiet hallway. The boy looked at once wary, but the blonde girl merely smiled.

"Hi," she said in greeting.

"Hi. I'm looking for someone," Cloud said. "A boy. Short, very blue eyes. His name's Sora, and he's probably wearing a pendant shaped like a key."

The girl brightened at once. "I knew someone had to be looking for him. Are you his brother? He looks a lot like you."

"Half brother," Cloud corrected.

She sighed. "I'm so glad. My sister and her best friend found him, actually, and he was hurt. He's suffering from amnesia."

Cloud blinked. It was worse than he expected, then, but not as bad as it could have been. This girl had no Darkness in her heart, so perhaps her sister did not either. That was a relief. "Where are they?"

"I can take you right to her room," the girl said at once. "Roxas, I'll see you at dinner?"

The boy nodded, squeezing her hand before heading in the opposite direction. Smiling, the girl held out her hand. "I'm Namine."

Cloud took it gently and squeezed very lightly. "Cloud," he replied.

"Nice to meet you Cloud. This way."


	5. Chapter 5

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

Riku slung an arm about Sora's shoulders as he strolled into the school. "I'm making an executive decision to play hooky for the next few days or so," he announced, heading for the theatre. "Kairi should appreciate the break. Actresses are high-maintenance, you know." 

That earned him a sweet smile. Grinning, Riku barged into the theatre. Most of the students in the program knew him—he and Kairi were nearly attached at the hip. Quite a few of them waved at him, and a lot of the girls gave him second and third glances for the angel-faced boy at his side. For his part, Sora looked very shy, faint pink constantly staining his cheeks.

Kairi waved from the stage—Riku didn't try to guess what she was doing. Kairi was the darling of the theatre, so she usually took center stage. Nimbly leaping off onto the floor, showing her pale legs to advantage, she jogged toward them.

"Hi," she greeted with a bright smile. "What are you two doing here?"

"Kidnapping you," Riku said. "I want to take you and Sora to my house for a few days. You know, let Sora get used to things. Maybe a quiet environment will help him remember some things."

Kairi sighed. "Riku . . . you know I can't do that. What am I supposed to tell them?"

"Tell them your mother is sick," Riku suggested, shrugging. "They know I'm always in your room, so naturally I would come first thing to tell you."

Shaking her head with a rueful grin, Kairi turned and tracked down the professor. A few minutes later she was back. "The things I do for you. All right, mister kidnapper, where are we going?"

Feeling quite happy about all this, Riku tucked Kairi's hand under his free arm. "My parents' summer house here."

Kairi flashed Sora a long-suffering look. "Be prepared for a long, boring drive, Sora. It's four hours to his parents' summer house. Did you call them, by the way? Ask if this was okay?"

"Of course it's okay," Riku replied huffily. "They gave me a key. Why would they give me a key if not to use it for just such emergencies?"

"Aside from the fact that this isn't an emergency? Huh, I have no idea," Kairi retorted, flipping her auburn hair.

Riku squeezed Sora tighter. "Hear that, Sora? She doesn't think you're an emergency. Quick, fall over in a seizure. That will convince her."

Laughing, Kairi shoved him off. "Shut up."

-

Sora gazed wide-eyed at Riku's black car. It was the first time he'd ever seen a car. He only knew it was a car because Riku had said, "This is my car!" with much pride in his voice.

He wondered how it worked. And what, exactly, it was supposed to do. When Riku held a little device to it and lights blinked, Sora couldn't help himself any longer. "What is this thing?" he asked, head canting to the side.

By the looks they gave him this was another thing not normal. Obviously everyone knew what cars were. Blushing, he lowered his eyes, but Kairi glomped him hard.

"You are so cute, Sora!" she all but sang. "It's a car. A transportation device. A way of getting really fast from one place to another. Here, you sit in the front and Riku can show you how it works. Oh, Riku, when we get to your house, let's teach him to drive!"

Riku grinned. "That's a great idea. Come on, Sora. Inside. Buckle up."

Kairi showed him how to buckle the seatbelt when he sat. He watched with avid curiosity as Riku stuck a key behind the wheel and turned. All around him the car hummed to life. It was not an alarming sound, so Sora wasn't really startled, but he tried to look everywhere at once as lights came on, music started, and the car moved.

"It moves!" he exclaimed.

Riku snorted. "That's the idea. Hey, Kairi, you feel like anything in particular? We can grab something on the way. I'm hungry."

"But we just ate," Sora protested, frowning. Sure it had been an hour, but how could Riku be hungry again?

"Subway," Kairi answered.

"Typical girl," Riku said, rolling his eyes. "No sense of adventure. Subway it is."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

There were, Sora noted as they drove out of the city, a lot of people in their cars on the road. "How fast are we traveling?" he asked, looking at Riku.

"About one-hundred miles an hour. Cars used to go sixty. Can you imagine that?" He made a rude sound.

"Is that slow?" Sora wanted to know, wondering what "miles an hour" meant.

"Quite slow," Riku said. "We'll be going even faster once we hit the interstate."

Settling back into his seat, Sora fell silent while Riku and Kairi ate their sandwiches. At some point along the drive he fell asleep, and he didn't wake until Riku shook him.

He yawned. "Where are we?"

"At my house," Riku answered. "Come on, get out."

Still feeling sleepy, Sora climbed out of the car. Kairi promptly wrapped an arm around him, and he let his head drop to her shoulder. Riku snorted.

"Should I carry you, my lady?" he teased.

Kairi nearly dropped Sora as she threw her arms around Riku's chest. "Why, yes, my handsome prince," she crooned.

Covering his mouth, Sora giggled.

- - - - - - - -

"I'm relieved," Aerith said, voice low. She rested her head on Cloud's shoulder. "At least he's with humans, not . . . worse."

Cloud's arms went around her, strong and warm. She took much reassurance in his touch. "The girl—Namine—said they probably went to this Riku or Kairi's house, and won't be gone more than a few days."

"You're not going to try and find them there?" she asked, a little surprised. Turning, she looked into Cloud's shockingly blue eyes.

He shook his head. "No. I don't want to alarm any of them, especially Sora. No, we'll wait for them to return."

"But . . . what if someone finds Sora?" Aerith protested. "The Queen of Darkness will already know an Angel fell."

"I know," Cloud said. "I'll send someone to watch over him."

"But not you?" she said, confused.

"No. I'm going to confront the Queen of Darkness. It will distract her from searching for Sora."

Aerith blinked. Oh. Well, that was Cloud. Direct, to the point, and reckless. "All right. Me?"

"No. I would like you to come with me. I'll send Tifa."

Ah. Good choice, Aerith thought. Tifa was an Arch Angel as well, known throughout the heavens for her time spent among mortals. In fact, it was Tifa Aerith had turned to when Cloud had left Heaven in search of the former Key. Without her, Aerith was sure they would have lost Cloud to the Darkness.

"All right," she acquiesced. She didn't think Cloud had resolving anything in mind. After all, they'd been battling the Queen of Darkness for . . . millennia.

But if it took her eye off Sora, then they'd accomplished their goal.

- - - - - - - -

To Kairi's delight, Sora had never seen a TV before (that he could remember, anyway). Riku thought that was funny, so he immediately sat them all down with popcorn, chips, and way too much candy and plugged in a movie.

"They don't make movies much anymore," he explained, "at least not good ones. Fortunately, I have a fantastic video archive from the early twenty-first century. This is called V for Vendetta. Great movie."

Though Kairi wasn't much for action movies, she settled down, content just to be near her friends. Riku sat on Sora's opposite side, resulting in him sandwiched between them. He seemed to have no problem with that as he absently picked at the popcorn.

The movie choice, however, was a bit of a mistake . . .

"Why does he have to kill them?" he asked, eyes bright with unshed tears. "And how come those people are so cruel? Why do they hate people just because they're different?"

Riku caught Kairi's eye over his head, making a strange face. When the movie ended Sora broke down, and Kairi bundled him close while glaring at Riku.

"I would have suggested something light-hearted and funny," she accused.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Should I plug in Winnie the Pooh?" he drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Unable to help herself, Kairi giggled. "No. He would cry that Eeyore's so sad."

Both of them dissolved into laughter.

Sora squirmed wildly in Kairi's embrace, sort of growling. Tightening her hold, Kairi refused to let him escape.

"Oh, don't be mad," she pleaded, still giggling. "It's not a bad thing, Sora. It's cute. Here, you can bite Riku for being mean."

Her words made Sora start giggling. Riku gave her a look that spoke eloquently of his thoughts on being bitten. Burying her face in Sora's hair, she shared in her mirth with him, noticing his face was pressed into her neck. It felt nice, having him so close. Right. Like he belonged here, with her and Riku.

"What's with this?" she murmured into Sora's hair, grin fading to something softer. "This feeling . . ."

"Like he belongs with us?" Riku finished quietly, running a hand up Sora's back. "I know."

Between them, Sora was silent, body limp and relaxed. Kairi sighed, glad they'd made this impromptu trip. Maybe someday soon Sora's life would catch up with him and whisk him away. Until then she planned to make new memories and cherish every god-given moment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** Hi everyone! I'm glad you're all enjoying this, I sure am! An additional warning from now on: it's going to get darker. Also, have had a few questions about pairings. As of yet, I have none in mind, but that may change. I'm also always open to suggestion!

* * *

_"Where's Cloud?"_

_Eyes darker than chocolate and just as smooth take him in. They are sad, so sad. "He followed him. He left, Sora."_

_His eyes widen. His heart aches. "What?" he whispers. "No. No! I'll never see him again! We have to find him, Tifa!" His tears are hot, they burn tracks down his pale cheeks. "He promised! He promised he would never leave me!"_

_She catches the hands he beats against her stomach and holds them gently. "I . . ." she begins slowly. "I don't think he's . . . thinking right. He's hurt, Sora."_

_He doesn't say, but what about me? It hurts him, too, that the Key of Heaven is gone. That means . . . that means . . ._

_"Tifa . . ." he whimpers, knees buckling._

_She catches him easily, and her long white wings momentarily shelter him from everything. "Don't cry, Sora," she whispers, her lips brushing his forehead. "I will find him. I swear. I'll bring him back."_

Sora came floundering out of an inky black sleep to find himself being smothered. Gasping, unable to breathe, he fought to free himself. At once he felt arms around him, holding him, calming him.

"It's all right," Riku's voice poured gently into his ear, just as Kairi whispered,

"It's okay, Sora."

His tired brain finally dredged up a reason for his position. Last night after way too much junk food, sugar, and caffeine, the three of them had collapsed in a boneless tangle in the queen-sized bed in the master bedroom.

Breathing easier, Sora tried to remember his dream. He could only remember two things: the names Tifa and Cloud. But who they were eluded him, how he knew them, where he knew them from, and anything else in the dream.

"Anything?" Kairi asked as though reading his mind.

He could feel her pressed against his back even as he pressed against Riku's chest. It felt good, lying like this. Safe. Comfortable. Loved. "No," he said presently, trying not to be discouraged. As Namine said, it had to come back eventually.

"It'll come," Riku said, mimicking his thoughts.

Sora smiled. Even if his memories never came back, he no longer thought it would be so terrible as long as he had these two. As long as they stayed in his life, that would be okay.

"Sora," Kairi said abruptly, "what's this?"

Cool fingers brushed lightly over his shoulder blades. Sora stiffened in shock as a bright flash of pain flickered through him. Riku had him down in an instant, his aqua eyes worried.

"What? What was that, Sora?"

Shaking his head, at a loss, Sora couldn't find his voice to explain.

Kairi pushed him onto his side. "There are scars here," she said, though that was obviously directed at Riku.

A lamp came on. "That's . . . weird," Riku's voice said. "They're in exactly the same place. Sora, what is this?"

Sora wished they would stop touching the scars, whatever they were. It hurt, sharp tingles like red-hot needles. That made no sense. "Don't know," he gasped, feeling like he was going to hyperventilate.

They finally moved their hands. "He shouldn't have scars," Kairi said. "He heals so fast . . ."

Sora managed to roll onto his back, and he didn't like the look in Riku's eye. Right now Riku studied him so intently it was like a physical touch. Resisting the urge to squirm, Sora sat up.

"What?"

For a time he said nothing. Then, "I don't know. What does it feel like when I touch the scars?"

"Hurts," Sora replied, shifting.

"But like what?" Riku wanted to know. "Really concentrate on it when I touch them. How does it hurt?"

It wasn't easy to obey, but he supposed Riku had a reason for doing this. Closing his eyes, he obeyed and tried to concentrate. And then, everything went away.

-

_"Cloud!"_

_Tifa's dark eyes widen in shock. "Sora! Dear God, get away from here! What are you doing? Sora—!"_

_Wings that were once white but now are black spread wide, eyes as dead as the night pierce him to the core. "So here you finally are. Do you still profess to love God, Sora? After he made you Key of Heaven?"_

_Like that, Cloud is between them, his gleaming wings spread wide, his enormous sword held before him. "Stay away from my brother, Sephiroth," he growls very quietly._

_Sephiroth chuckles faintly. "I had a brother, too, once," he says. "He died. And God did nothing. All the power of the Heavens, and he did nothing. I will destroy it all, Cloud. I will do it with or without you, and if you stand in my way I will cut you down." His long, silver sword flashes._

_"Cloud!" Sora cries again, flinging himself forward. His wings burst free, speckling the ground with bright drops of blood._

_Time slows. The sword arcs down slowly, gracefully, curving ever closer toward Cloud's body as Sora slides between him and it. Both Aerith and Tifa cry out, almost inaudible over the deafening hiss of Cloud's startled breath. The sword is millimeters from cleaving Sora in two._

_A blinding light bursts from the silver key around Sora's neck. It swallows everything. The fear in Tifa and Aerith's faces. The anger, hurt, and terror on Cloud's. The surprise on Sephiroth's. In a moment it is all gone. When the light fades, it takes everything with it._

_

* * *

_

I know, it's short. But this will be the last short chapter for . . . ever, probably. And I really did have to end it there. Sorry! Next chapter will make up for it (I hope . . .)!


	7. Chapter 7

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

Maybe it wasn't the best decision Cloud had ever made. When it came to two people he tended to lose the ability to think rationally. His little brother was one of those two. Still, sword in hand and Aerith by his side, Cloud was far from regretting it.

The Queen of Darkness resided in what humans had long called Hell. It was a fitting name, for it was the plane of nonexistence where the Heartless could be found. Dark, cold, and filled with hate and pain, most Angels feared to go there. Most Angels could not and survive. But Cloud and Aerith were not Angels. Arch Angels had significantly less to fear, even in Hell.

"I can't sense any Heartless," Aerith murmured.

Cloud didn't know whether to be relieved or not. He couldn't sense them either. A long time ago the Key of Heaven had fought the Heartless and won, banishing them from this plane entirely. The Queen of Darkness had been defeated, but she could not be destroyed. So long as Darkness existed, so too would she.

As they descended deeper into Hell, the Darkness grew more tangible. Almost as one he and Aerith extended their wings, gleaming bright light surging forth from them both. Aerith's slender, warm hand sought his and he squeezed gently to reassure her.

And just like that, there she was. The Queen of Darkness materialized before them in a burst of eerie green flame, her black robes darker than the inky Dark around them. Her strange, colorless eyes took them in with little expression, her lips curved in the faintest hint of a sneer.

"Well, well," she said in that echoing voice of hers.

To Cloud, it always sounded like the actual words were lost, and he only _heard_ the echo. It was somewhat unsettling. "Maleficent," he said quietly.

-

_"It's unlucky."_

_Confused, he lifts his bright eyes to meet the gaze of the Key. "What's unlucky?"_

_Pale, long fingers reach out and lightly grip the silver key pendant around his neck. "That God chose you. In decades to come you'll wish he had not."_

_"Do you wish he hadn't chosen you?" Sora asks, head canting to the side._

_"Yes. He calls himself the God of Light. He should call himself the God of Blindness."_

_Sora is surprised. "Why do you say that?"_

_The Key rises from his position. "I had a brother once, Sora. My father fell in love with a human, and together they had a child. The Queen of Darkness descended on my half-brother, hoping to use his human half against him. But the Heartless killed him, and our so-called god did nothing."_

_Sora can't help the rush of sadness that wells up inside him. "Sephiroth . . ." he whispers, not sure what to say._

_Long silver hair gleams faintly in the light of Heaven as the Key looks down at him with an unreadable expression. "Don't look at me like that, Sora," he said quietly. "You have no reason to feel compassion toward me. From now on, I am your enemy."_

_Blink. Sora doesn't have any idea what he's talking about. He's too innocent even to feel afraid. "What—" he begins, but that is as far as he gets._

_In Sephiroth's hands appears his long, brilliant sword. In a flash Sora is pressed hard against the wall, the sharp blade to his throat, biting into his skin. Sora stares in horror at Sephiroth--his wings, once glittering white, are dull black. He would speak, but the blade is cutting deep and he no longer has a voice. He knows if he was human, he would be dead._

_"I despise Heaven," Sephiroth hisses, pressing even harder on his sword. "I despise the Angels that so blindly follow God. I despise the Queen of Darkness that stole my brother. I'm going to destroy it all, Sora. Everything. I want Cloud to know I have forsaken all my vows. You and he mean nothing to me anymore."_

_The pain in his throat is unbearable. Gasping, barely able to breathe, Sora coughs blood. Sephiroth smiles coldly, his free hand coming up to softly caress Sora's cheek. His skin is burning hot._

_"Unless he decides to stand at my side," he whispered, letting the young Angel fall._

_Sora feels his life seep away as Sephiroth slowly disappears._

It literally felt like he had to drag himself out of sleep, this time. As though it were an entity reluctant to let him go awareness was slow in returning. When he finally levered sticky eyelids open, he found himself lying with his head in Kairi's lap. She sat on the bed reading a book, and outside it was broad daylight.

The moment he shifted, Kairi dropped the book and helped him sit up. There was worry in her pretty, red-brown eyes.

"I'm so glad you're awake," she murmured, kissing his forehead. "I don't know if you remember, but when Riku had you concentrate on the pain you felt, you passed out. That was . . . I don't know. Six hours ago?"

Sora blinked. "Really? Geez, I feel like I've been hit by a . . . really big car." He grinned weakly.

Kairi laughed softly. "You seem all right. Riku went out to do a little grocery shopping."

For a moment Sora let himself relax. Presently, however, he realized Kairi was not relaxed. She didn't _look_ any different, but there was something . . . her posture was a little too stiff. He could feel it in her leg where his head rested. It made him anxious. Sitting up he looked her in the eye.

"What? Is something wrong?"

Guilt and . . . worry . . . flashed through her eyes so quickly he nearly missed it. "No, not . . . _wrong_," she said at length. "It's just . . . umm, I don't really know how to tell you this . . ."

Anxiety rapidly turning into fear, Sora shook his head. "So just tell me."

She sucked in a deep breath. "Okay. Well, when you were . . . sleeping, something happened. From your scars, you . . . well, there were . . . geez, this sounds so weird . . ."

"Kairi, please," Sora begged. "You're scaring me."

She sighed. "Wings, Sora. Bright white wings came out of your back."

- - - - - - - -

Tifa shook her black hair, landing lightly on the roof of the house. Her wings immediately disappeared, the dim halo of light surrounding her vanishing. Beside her, Vincent shifted, making his blood-red cloak ripple in the bright light of day. He looked odd in the sun. Almost . . . unreal.

"You didn't have to come," she said. Again.

Vincent. In Heaven he was called the Avenger. The darkest Arch Angel in God's army. Powerful, dangerous, and silent, Vincent was the only Arch Angel still in Heaven to have black wings. Only the very tips faded to pure white, as if proclaiming there was still some part of him in the light.

Vincent gave a miniscule shrug, only his cloak hinting at movement. "Sora must be safe."

That was hard to argue with. Tifa settled into a half-crouch, watching as a black car pulled into the driveway and a boy with silver hair stepped out. She frowned. He looked familiar, somehow.

"He reminds me of Sephiroth," Vincent said as though reading her mind.

She blinked. Now that she thought about it, he did. Sort of. "This must be the one named Riku," she mused.

Vincent just stood, silent and impassive, his red eyes scanning everything around the house. If Heartless came to try and take Sora, they would be ready.

-

Riku dropped the bags on the kitchen counter and hurried upstairs. Upon entering the bedroom he found Kairi and Sora in exactly the same position. Only Kairi wasn't reading anymore, and Sora was no longer asleep. In fact, Sora had a blank look in his eyes, their normally bright surfaces dull.

Kairi looked up when he entered, and she looked very worried. "I told him," she said, her fingers stroking Sora's hair. "I told him what we saw. He hasn't said anything."

Riku grimaced. Climbing onto the bed, he sat on Sora's other side and stroked his back. "Sora?"

Their new friend jerked. "What am I?" he said in a flat, dead voice. "I'm a freak."

Frowning, Riku grabbed his arms and made him face him. "No, you're not. You're something _special_, Sora. I know it."

Wrenching himself away, Sora stumbled to his feet and bolted across the room, staring at them with wide eyes. "I'm a _freak_! What kind of person has _wings_? I . . . I . . . Riku, I . . ."

In a flash Riku was up, wrapping Sora in his arms. "You're an angel, that's all," he whispered, smiling into Sora's hair. "Yeah. You're an angel. Kairi and I always thought so, you know."

He heard Sora give a weak little laugh.

Abruptly, he straightened. He didn't know how he knew it, but something was wrong. Nothing changed, really. He didn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary. But he just _knew_ something was _wrong_.

-

Vincent straightened just a split second before Tifa felt it. "Heartless," she hissed, rising from her crouch.

Ornate guns appeared in Vincent's hands just as the black, twisted Heartless spilled out of the woods surrounding the house. There were a _lot_ of them. As one Tifa and Vincent extending their wings, leaping to the ground and rushing the enemy. They ignored their attackers, pressing toward the house with mindless determination that let her know exactly who they were here for.

That did not bode well.

"Guard the house," Vincent's deep voice rolled over her ear even as the Avenger leaped back to defend its walls.

Aborting her attack, Tifa flew to the opposite side of the house, driving the Heartless back. She would descend into the darkness herself before allowing it to take Sora!

- - - - - - - -

"Imagine Heaven's most powerful Arch Angels coming to visit me," the Queen of Darkness all but purred. "I'm flattered beyond belief. Did you bring flowers?"

Cloud's wings rose aggressively as he his sword appeared. Holding it ready, his blue eyes bored into hers. "We didn't come for games, Maleficent," he warned.

"Straight to the point, as always," she sighed. "If your plan was to distract me into battling you, taking my eyes off Earth, you are too late. I know the Key of Heaven fell from Heaven. I know where he is, and my Heartless are already there to take him into the Dark."


	8. Chapter 8

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

They poured out of a hole in the air like a black plague. Their eyes glowing yellow and filled with intense hatred, they boiled across the lawn in an endless flood. Tifa, having discovered it was best to use some kind of weapon against them, had fashioned a long, slightly curved quarterstaff out of black oak. It blurred in her hands as she defended the house where the three children sheltered.

Somewhere to her distant right she could hear Vincent battling, as well. She didn't have to worry about him. Oh no, she had her hands full worrying about herself. She wasn't worried about defeat. But the house was big, and there were many places a Heartless could slip inside, unnoticed.

Perhaps it was time to take more drastic measures. It meant exposing herself and her companion to the two humans inside, but Sora was worth it. "Vincent!" she called, slamming three Heartless back into the woods with one blow. Spreading her wings, she leapt into the air.

Vincent reached the air above the house at the same moment she did. Mirror-images of each other they reached out, hands clasping and eyes closing.

_"Heaven's eye, Heaven's might_

_Heaven's hammer, Heaven's light._

_Down from the heavens softly fall_

_Your gleaming aura to shield us all."_

A globe of light appeared between them, brilliant and almost painful to the eye. It spilled down around them, shielding the entire house in its radiant ambience. Everywhere Heartless staggered back, smoking wherever the light touched them. Those unfortunate enough to be caught in its rays burned to wisps of ash instantly.

With the house thus protected, Tifa and Vincent now turned their attention to the hole in the air. The Darkness curled out like a live thing, all the while spewing more Heartless. Folding her wings into a steep dive, Tifa landed among them with a vengeance. Dozens fell before her, and those that managed to escape were caught in Vincent's deadly crossfire.

Still, they were not enough to stop or even stem the flow. Only Sora could seal a rift like that. Or God or the Queen of Darkness, but she didn't think either of those two would be able or inclined. She was ready to consider other options when the door of the house opened and the three children stepped out.

Both human and Angel alike stared in awe at the gleaming orb of light bathing the house. Tifa felt her heart tighten a little—proof positive right there that Sora's memories were lost, even if temporarily. She opened her mouth to call out to him when his blue, blue eyes fell on her. They widened just a tiny bit, and he took a few hesitant steps toward her—

"Tifa . . . ?" he almost whispered.

—and stepped out of the sphere of light. A Heartless boiled up out of the ground, raising a blade as black and twisted as its body. Whirling, scattering Heartless like cheap toys, Tifa rocketed back into the air just as Vincent came streaking down. She heard the two humans cry out, saw Sora turn, only just seeing the enemy bearing down on him.

The whole scene was eerily quiet. The evil blade sank into Sora's chest, and the Angel opened his mouth with a very faint gasp, eyes wide with surprise and shock. Then his body went slack, crumpling without another sound.

- - - - - - - -

_"Cloud?"_

_Heaven's most powerful Arch Angel turns, something in his eyes that Sora has never seen there before. He holds his arms open in invitation, and Sora wastes no time stepping into his embrace. Strong, warm arms enclose him, and he feels the gentle brush of soft feathers._

_"I have to find him," Cloud says quietly, with deathly finality._

_Sora squirms a little, raising his head to look into his brother's eye. "No. Cloud, _no_. If you leave, you won't come back. I . . . I don't want to lose you."_

_Cloud's hand cups the back of his head and pulls him close again, tucking his head under his chin. "You'll never lose me, little brother," he whispers into Sora's ear. "I'll always protect you."_

_-_

_"The Key of Heaven must be pure of heart, innocent and untainted. There is only one in all of Heaven fit to take your place, Sephiroth."_

_"Who is that, Lord of All?"_

_"I have been watching Cloud closely, you know."_

_"Yes, I knew. Surely . . . not Cloud?"_

_"Of course not. Cloud is a warrior. An Arch Angel would not be fit to be Key of Heaven, no matter how young they might be. No, I was referring to his brother. The young Sora. He is the most pure Angel ever to be born in the heavens."_

_-_

_"God chose, today, Cloud."_

_"Chose? A new Key of Heaven to replace you?"_

_"Yes."_

_"You don't sound happy."_

_"He chose Sora, Cloud. He chose _Sora_ to be the new Key of Heaven."_

_Blink. "Why did you say it like that?"_

_"You know I want this no longer. But I wasn't expecting him to choose Sora!"_

_"It's not our decision, Sephiroth. There has to be a Key of Heaven."_

_"It does not have to be Sora. It's not a burden he should have to bear."_

_"Then we'll protect him. Like we always have."_

_-_

_"Sora's badly hurt," Aerith said, her hand warm on Cloud's arm. "It was Sephiroth."_

_Cloud felt something course through him he'd never felt before in his entire, immortal life. "I'm going after him," he said, distantly surprised at how dead his voice sounded in his own ears. "He did this to hurt me."_

_Aerith's green eyes shuttered. "You can't do that, Cloud," she said quietly. "Who will protect Sora?"_

_"He's the Key of Heaven," Cloud said flatly. "God will protect him. I'm going after Sephiroth."_

_"And what will I tell Sora?" Aerith demanded, standing in front of him with her wings spread. "That you just abandoned him?"_

_"I'm not abandoning him," Cloud denied at once._

_"Then what? If you leave, we both know you won't come back."_

_"I will."_

_"You don't look so sure."_

_He looked away from her. He wasn't so sure._

_-_

_Cloud . . . Cloud . . . where are you . . . ? Where is everyone? Why is it dark? Cold? I hate being cold. Cloud . . . you said you would always protect me . . . where are you? What is this place? It never ends . . ._

_It feels like falling, but no, it does not feel like moving. It just feels wrong. He knows he was not here before. But he cannot picture wherever 'before' was. There were people there. People who love him. But now . . . he cannot find it. He doesn't even know where he is._

_And every time he moves, there is pain. A deep, icy pain somewhere inside him. It stabs daggers of ice so cold they burn into him, seemingly centered right over his heart. Burrowing into his heart. Tearing his heart out. Leaving him completely empty. Cold, empty, lost, and alone._

Cloud . . . where are you . . . ? I thought you said . . . you would always . . . protect me . . .

- - - - - - - -

"Who are you?"

Kairi was surprised to hear the shaky note in Riku's voice. Her normally confident friend looked unsettled to the core. She couldn't blame him, really. They'd stepped out of the house after a blinding flash of light to find the light was surrounding them. And outside it . . .

Outside it, two winged beings battled hideous black creatures with glowing yellow eyes that looked pure evil. And Sora . . . Sora had recognized the woman. Called her by name. Tifa. Walked toward her, looking as if in a dream.

That's what all this felt like. A surreal dream. No, a nightmare. Because one of those hideous creatures of evil had stabbed Sora. Right in the chest. There'd been no blood, but Sora had collapsed like a puppet with strings cut.

The woman with black hair and dark, liquid brown eyes flicked her gaze toward Riku. "Tifa," she said in a sweet, almost soothing voice.

Not quite soothing. It was laced with too much concern.

"What were those . . . _things_?" Riku demanded, hovering.

It was making Kairi nervous.

"Please," Tifa said, "I need to focus on Sora right now. Kairi, right?" She looked at Kairi.

Blinking, surprised, Kairi just nodded.

"We need to get him warm. Would you mind heating some water? And Riku, as many blankets as you can find. The Darkness is inside him, and we need to get it out."

Kairi didn't miss the way she said 'Darkness.' It was far, far removed from darkness. The kind the night brought when the sun set. She couldn't quite figure out the difference. But it was there.

When she returned, Tifa was chafing Sora's arms and hands. The boy's lips were turning blue, and he shifted restlessly in his sleep. Riku tucked several blankets around him until Sora all but vanished. Kairi made some tea, and Tifa slowly tipped it down Sora's throat.

Then she just held him, absently rubbing the blankets. "I'm sorry you kids had to get involved in this," she said quietly.

Kairi sat beside her, wishing she didn't feel so helpless. "What happened out there? What's wrong with Sora?"

Tifa took a deep breath. "Sora is . . . special."

"We know," Riku said from where he slouched against the wall. "We saw his wings."

Tifa nodded. "He's an Angel."

There it was again. That difference. "So are you," Kairi said, folding her hands in her lap. "So is your friend."

"Where did he go, anyway?" Riku wanted to know.

Tifa looked at him. "To bring Sora's brother. Cloud. He's Heaven's most powerful Arch Angel."


	9. Chapter 9

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

Cloud found the house still surrounded by an Aura of Light. Folding his wings, he stepped inside, Aerith close behind him. Vincent walked at his side, just half a step behind. The Avenger paused outside the door.

"I'll keep watch," he said.

Cloud nodded his thanks and hurried inside. He didn't have to call out. So close to Tifa and Sora, he could feel their presences easily. As soon as he broke over the threshold he saw them, Sora bundled in many blankets and Tifa's arms. The two human children hovered nearby, wearing identical expressions of worry and grief for their friend. Cloud was momentarily distracted by the vague similarity the boy bore to Sephiroth.

"How is he?" he asked, ignoring them for now.

Tifa shifted. "Not too good. It got him right in the chest."

Cloud hissed in a sharp breath. "Aerith," he murmured.

"I'm here," she said at once, pacing to the other side of the bed.

The Darkness could not affect Sora like it would a normal Angel, but it could seriously harm him. Cloud and Aerith faced each other over the bed.

"Tifa, I'd appreciate your help," Cloud said. Pausing, he threw a glance at the two human kids. "You two, it may look like we're hurting Sora. But it has to be done."

Both of them nodded, looking worried and even a little scared. Cloud felt sorry for them. As soon as he had time, he would erase their memories of all this and send them back to the university.

The three Arch Angels extended their wings, each surrounded by a halo of brilliant light. In perfect silence they reached out with all senses, falling into a kind of rapport with each other, thoughts and feelings aligned. As one the light began to shape and take form.

In Cloud's hands it wrought a sword of pure light. Taking a deep breath, wishing there were another way, Cloud plunged it directly into Sora's heart.

-

_"Sephiroth!"_

_The faintest hints of a smile on his lips, Sephiroth leans down and easily lifts Sora into his arms, resting the young Angel on his hip._

_"Was I ever this innocent?" he asks Cloud._

_The golden-haired Arch Angel smiles just as faintly. "No," he says without any irony. "Neither of us were. I don't think any Angel ever was."_

_Sephiroth chuckles softly. "You shouldn't be here, little one. Your brother and I are discussing heavy things."_

_Sora frowns thoughtfully. "Like Cloud's sword?" he muses. "It's heavy."_

_Both of them look at him, neither sure whether he is serious. He grins brightly. Sephiroth sighs._

_"There's war on Earth again," he says._

_Now Sora is genuinely mystified. "What's war?" he asks, looking at his brother._

_They both look at him, and their eyes are . . . almost sad._

_"Maybe you'll never have to find out," is Cloud's answer._

_-_

_"Cloud, what is Earth like?"_

_Cloud looks down at him, that softness in his eyes that only Sora can put there. "It's very different from here," he says, nodding a little as if that's the best way to describe it._

_Which does not answer Sora's question at all. "Different how?" he insists._

_Blue-green eyes lock with sky-blue. "For one thing, it's darker," Cloud says. "And colder. Humans are . . . violent. Their history is bloody with battle and war."_

_Sora blinks, eyes widening in horror. "They go to war with each other? But . . . why?"_

_A soft sound escapes Cloud. "Why indeed. Maybe they're bored."_

_From his perch on the White Wall, Sora frowns down at his brother. "That's not funny."_

_"I know," Cloud says._

_Later Sora would find out his brother was not jesting._

_-_

_He sits alone on the White Wall, eyes wandering over Earth far below. He has never been there, and part of him is curious. Part of him is not. Sephiroth is somewhere down there, Cloud told him. Part of him is afraid of Sephiroth. One he still loves. One who nearly killed him._

_Gathering below, far _far_ below is what looks like a pool of darkness. It yawns vast and empty, growing ever larger. He wonders if it is deep. He knows it is not natural. Never in his life, admittedly short, has he ever seen anything like this. His hand unconsciously clasps the silver key around his neck._

_To his horror, he can hear voices. They are muffled by the distance, but they call out in pain and anger. There are no words. Or if there are, they are unintelligible. He doesn't have to understand each individual word to hear the roiling hatred, feel the burning agony. It shakes him to the core, and he draws away. Someone should know about this._

_But when he moves, so does the darkness. As though it is somehow linked to him, it lashes out. And though it does not touch him, he cannot move. It _pulls_. Frightened, his wings extend from his back, blood speckling the ground beneath him._

_But he cannot fly. The darkness does not let him. Gasping, he tries harder. And just like that, he is falling._

_Into its inky, cloying embrace he falls. Ice colder than the deepest arctic winter pierces him, so cold it burns into his very soul. Opening his mouth to cry out, he gags when it instantly floods into his mouth, down his throat, pumping its frigid evil into his very core._

_Pain as he has never known racks his entire frame, making him scream and cry. At least, it would if he had any voice to scream. He can't breathe, he can't move as burning, freezing cold ravages the surface of his pale skin._

_Cloud, he thinks desperately as his consciousness begins to fade, help me, Cloud . . ._

Sora came awake with a tormented cry as blazing heat corkscrewed through his chest. Panting, he twisted and writhed, trying to throw of the heavy weight that smothered and restrained him.

It fell away a little, and a gentle voice pierced the haze in his brain. "Sora! It's all right, you're all right."

Struggling upright, Sora's eyes finally focused. He was extremely weak, and his body hurt. A quick glance around found him in an unfamiliar room, but Tifa, Aerith, and Cloud were all there. Offering a faint little moan of pain and exhaustion, Sora reached for his brother.

Cloud immediately sat on the edge of the bed, pulling Sora against his chest. His strength and warmth seeped into Sora, relaxing him. Sighing, he snuggled a little closer and closed his eyes.

"Where are we?" he asked, not really caring.

There was a very slight pause. "Earth," Cloud said after a moment.

That made Sora sit up straight again, looking into his brother's eyes. "Earth? Why are we on . . ." He stopped, his dream coming back. "Oh. I remember falling. Did I fall to Earth?"

"Yes," Cloud said. "A few days ago. You don't remember?"

Sora blinked. "No."

It was Cloud's turn to sigh. He pulled Sora tight against him and rested his chin on his brother's head. "Don't worry about it."

Relaxing, Sora obeyed his brother and stopped worrying.

- - - - - - - -

Riku sank down onto the couch beside Kairi, ready to offer comfort if she needed it. He was a little surprised when she completely ignored him, her dark eyes blank and empty. She looked so tired.

"I can't believe it," she said in a dead voice. "He gets his memories back only to forget us."

He'd never heard her use such a . . . bleak tone. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he squeezed comfortingly. "It's all right," he said at once, though he didn't know if it would be. "Like before, this is only temporary. Tifa and Aerith seemed to think so, too."

"They seem really nice," Kairi said, still sounding distant. "And Cloud seems to really love Sora."

Riku had no idea what to say. "Kairi . . ."

She finally looked at him, then. Her eyes were filled with tears. "What if he doesn't remember? It feels so right, him being with us, Riku. I can't explain it!"

Pulling her into a real hug, he made her rest her head on his shoulder. "We just can't think like that," he said firmly. Though he was just as scared about that as she was, right now she needed his strength. "So don't even put that thought out there, Kairi."

She quietly cried for awhile, and he let her stay like that until she fell asleep. Carefully laying her out on the couch, Riku rose and stretched somewhat stiff muscles. He felt useless. He had absolutely no idea what to do, and that bothered him.

The sound of someone coming down the stairs startled him into turning. The three Arch Angels (god, that sounded weird!) entered the living room, each wearing a grave expression.

"We have to leave for a while," the one named Aerith said. Her green eyes were filled with understanding. "Vincent will be watching over you, and we'll leave the Aura in place. If anything happens, we'll know immediately."

A quick glance showed Sora was not with them. Riku didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. Nodding, he watched them leave. After a second of indecision, he stopped hesitating and went upstairs.

Sora lay quietly on the bed, eyes closed in sleep. Something about him . . . had changed. In a way Riku could not define. He no longer looked so young. His face was still boyish and youthful, but that painful innocence had . . . just _changed_.

Though he didn't close the door and moved softly, Sora still heard him. Stirring, the Angel opened those astonishing blue eyes and tracked him. He shifted, trying to sit up, failed, gave up.

"Riku, right?" he said, smiling faintly. "Cloud told me you and your friend . . . Kairi . . . helped me when I fell. Thank you. I don't remember much about it. I hope I wasn't too much of a bother." His grin took on rueful dimensions.

Riku's heart hurt. "No," he said after a moment. "Not too much."

"Where is Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Sleeping," Riku replied with a shrug. "It's been a stressful day."

"Oh." Then, "I'm sorry."

Blinking, Riku took a chance and sat on the edge of the bed. "Why?"

It was Sora's turn to shrug. "For all this. It probably would have been better if I fell and no one found me until Cloud came."

Surprised and a little angry, Riku leaned forward. "How can you say that? Kairi and I were glad to help. This is hard for us too, you know. We didn't even know there were really _Angels_ around. Besides, I don't know if Cloud told you or not, but when we found you, you couldn't remember any of _them_. You only knew your name."

Sora's eyes widened a little, but Riku wasn't done. He wanted—no, needed—Sora to remember them.

"That's right. You didn't have them anymore. You didn't know if anyone was coming for you or not. You just had me and Kairi. Both of us felt the same, you know. About you. Like you belonged with us. Like we'd known you forever."

The look on Sora's face had gone from surprised to stunned. He stared at Riku, looking at a loss. The urge to hold him hit Riku so hard he nearly reeled. Instead, he rose off the bed and headed for the door.

"I guess I don't care if you don't remember these last few days," he said over his shoulder. "But don't decide without us to just cut us out of your life." He left then, closing the door behind him.

In the hall he nearly ran over Kairi, who stood just outside. Her eyes were wide and sad.

"Do you think he'll do that?" she asked quietly, looking tired. "Not make any decisions without us?"

Riku sighed faintly, running his hands through his longish silver hair. "I don't know. I hope so."

Kairi stepped against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing. "Me, too."

- - - - - - - -

Cold eyes stared across the distant, fading horizon. Sephiroth, former Key of Heaven, held his long sword in front of him, gazing down its gleaming length.

"So Sora was dragged from Heaven by the Darkness. That doesn't surprise me. That means you're somewhere on Earth, Cloud." A sinister smile crossed his lips. "Shall I give you ultimate despair?"

His sword flashed in a glittering arc, stabbing deep into the ground. Sephiroth smirked. The easiest way to destroy Heaven would be to use the Key of Heaven's power against the God of Light. Without him, the Angels would topple like so many cheap dominos.

After that, he would use Sora to destroy the Queen of Darkness and the Heartless. And with them out of the way, he would crush Earth into dust.


	10. Chapter 10

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

Can I just say, I love Sephiroth? He is so fun to write about . . . Who's _your_ favorite? Cloud's mine . . . X3

* * *

"Sephiroth?"

Blinking, pulling himself from his blank-eyed gaze across Heaven, Sephiroth turned his teal eyes on Sora. The short, young Angel who always looked more innocent than a dove wore a white robe today belted around the waist with braided gold and silver. A gift, several years ago, from Sephiroth himself. Gold for Cloud, silver for Sephiroth.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, absently pulling his long silver hair back with a thong. "Shouldn't you be learning to fly?"

Sora shrugged, his bright eyes holding the mischief of youth. "Yes. But I won't be missed."

_Of course you will,_ Sephiroth thought with a faint smile. Not only was Sora beloved by all in Heaven, but he was also the only child of the Queen of Heaven. The benevolent sister of the God of Light. She had left Heaven long ago only to return and fall in love with Cloud's father. Upon giving birth to her son she'd given him into Cloud's care, charging the older brother with always protecting her son before once more leaving.

Now, almost seventy years later, Sephiroth could not blame her. This plane of existence was dark compared with others he had glimpsed. As Key of Heaven, Aravis had shown him other worlds, other planes. Aravis. God of Light. One whom Sephiroth had once sworn blind allegiance. One whom he now saw as shortsighted and flawed.

A hideously rude awakening to one who had been overjoyed to be Key of Heaven almost two-thousand years ago. He knew Aravis would choose a new Key soon. Sephiroth was too . . . jaded now. Only one of innocence and purity could be Key. It was a fact. A fact Sephiroth suspected Aravis fabricated to make sure no one ever used the power of the Key to rule Heaven him or herself.

"Let me see your wings," he said presently, dragging himself out of his musings.

Sora was giving him a funny look. Blinking, the young Angel pulled back a little with a sour face. "It hurts, Sephiroth," he complained.

"You'll never get used to it, either, unless you use them," Sephiroth countered. "Let me see them."

Looking as petulant as the young ever looked, Sora closed his eyes. After long moments gleaming white wings stained with blood flowed down his back in a glittering fall. Sora's face tightened in pain, his lips drawn into a thin line. Taking pity on the poor boy, Sephiroth turned him around, pushing him onto the balcony rail. Then he dug his fingers into the silken feathers.

Making a soft sound of surprise, Sora melted at once under the skillful ministrations. "Mmm," he purred, "that feels good."

Sephiroth chuckled. "They won't bleed like this forever. Once the scars heal and your wings strengthen, it won't hurt anymore."

Straightening, Sora faced the much older Angel. "Can we fly? Right now? You aren't busy, right? Please?"

Once, a long time ago, Sephiroth had cared for all Angels in Heaven. Just as he'd loved Aravis, their God. Now, he was somewhat disillusioned. Angels were mostly blind fools, following their god without question. Only one Arch Angel questioned this, and he was Sephiroth's closest friend. Cloud.

Then, there was Sora. Too young and innocent to know there was such a thing as 'bad' in the universe. Too pure and sweet to believe anything but the absolute best of everyone and everything he encountered. Too angelic not to be loved. Sephiroth had never met anyone before that he wanted to shelter from everything ugly and evil. Until Sora.

"Shall we get your brother, then?" he asked, for there was nothing he loved more than sharing in Sora's enchanting company with Cloud.

Sora seemed to love nothing more than to be with them, for his smile shamed the sun as he nodded, sliding his hand into Sephiroth's. Squeezing the small fingers gently, Sephiroth walked through the halls of Heaven until they found Cloud. The Arch Angel was also alone, and he had only half turned before Sora was upon him, squeezing his brother's middle hard.

"Fly with us?" he pleaded, his eyes widening soulfully.

It was likely Sora plain didn't know what affect that look had on others. The child didn't know what 'guile' was. But Sephiroth saw Cloud melt instantly, smiling faintly and nodding. The look in his eyes was amused when he met Sephiroth's gaze.

So with Sora between them the powerful Key of Heaven and Arch Angel spread their wings and took to the endless, glorious skies of Heaven. Flying here was effortless, for there was no resistance as could be found on the mortal planes. Sora laughed brightly, a sound of pure happiness as he drifted between them.

Sephiroth realized the young Angel was not actually flying at all. His wings hung limp down his back, the feathers rustling lazily in the breeze floating by. Half-frowning, half-grinning, Sephiroth let go of Sora's hand. The young Angel yelped and swung to latch onto his brother, clinging to keep from falling out of the sky.

Cloud's soft laughter echoed Sephiroth's own.

"Lazy kid," Sephiroth scolded, "you're up here to learn to fly. Not to make us do all the work. You have wings. Use them!"

With his arms wrapped around Cloud's neck and legs wrapped around his brother's waist Sora clung like a limpet, refusing to let go. He giggled when Sephiroth tried to pry him loose and was spectacularly unsuccessful.

Cloud gripped his brother's arms and tugged. "Come on," he said softly, voice far from stern. "Sephiroth is right—you should learn to fly, Sora."

Sora pouted adorably for a moment, then relinquished his hold. Letting go of his brother, he spread his wings wide, taking in a deep, audible breath. Air billowed under his wings, and he looked surprised that he didn't fall. At least not right away.

"You have to move them, Sora," Cloud encouraged, his own wings gracefully moving up and down.

After a few tries, Sora got the hang of staying aloft. Sephiroth smiled.

"When you want to move, just reposition your body," he instructed. "Like this." He leaned forward in demonstration, beating his wings.

Cloud followed him, the two older Angels flying backward and calling encouragement to the younger. Sora followed with obvious difficulty. Sephiroth could see he was hurting, but it was the only way for him to get stronger. Eventually, though, Sora's strength began to fail.

"Cloud—" he whimpered piteously.

Cloud was there in an instant, his strength more than enough to support his small brother as his wings almost lazily stroked the air. Sora's wings vanished as he snuggled into Cloud's arms with a sigh. Sephiroth watched them, almost unbelievably happy. It was only when with these two that he ever found this coveted tranquility.

The three flew at a leisurely pace through the skies, watching Heaven's perfect landscape far, far below. In these upper levels of Heaven where only Arch Angels resided there was only uninterrupted peace. It was easy for Sephiroth to forget the things that haunted him, the doubts and questions.

"Here," Cloud said abruptly, not quite startling Sephiroth, "carry him for a minute."

Blinking, not bothering to question, Sephiroth held his arms and Cloud shifted Sora into his hold. Sora blinked owlishly, looking like he'd been awakened from dozing. Cloud folded his wings and plummeted while the pair watched. Sephiroth followed more sedately, and soon he saw the reason for Cloud's sudden descent.

Below them was Aerith, Cloud's soul-mated companion. The Arch Angel with soft brown hair and loving green eyes leaned up and pressed a chaste kiss to Cloud's cheek.

"Sorry to interrupt you," she said in that sweet, melodic voice of hers, "but Aravis wished to speak with Sephiroth."

Sora jumped out of Sephiroth's arms a few feet above the ground and wrapped his arms around Aerith's waist, grinning sweetly. Sephiroth couldn't help but smile even as his heart recoiled at the thought of speaking with Aravis. The God had only one reason to wish to see Sephiroth. A new Key of Heaven had been chosen.

"Thank you," he said, nodding to Aerith.

She smiled sadly as if she knew what was on his mind. Possibly she knew the reason Aravis wanted to see him. She was deepest in Aravis' confidence.

"Come see us after?" Sora begged, grabbing Sephiroth's hand before the Key could fly off.

Looking into those impossibly large blue eyes, Sephiroth smiled and nodded. He couldn't imagine a time when he could refuse those eyes anything.

But that time came much faster than he could imagine. Because Aravis chose Sora to be the new Key of Heaven. The son of Heaven's brightest star, the Queen of Heaven. The light of every Angel and Arch Angel's eye. Sora, whom it would ruin. Sora, the only one he'd ever sworn to protect.

Because Heartless killed his brother and since he was no longer Key of Heaven God did nothing. Because he realized he wanted to protect nothing. He wanted to destroy it all.

- - - - - - - -

_Bright silver flashes in the wan light, the clash of metal grinding on the ears. The shriek as it slides along is enough to make a person reel with abused nerves. Sephiroth's eyes are merciless as he rides his attack, his sword pushing ever harder against Cloud's. The pair writhe in the sky, black wings stark against white, hard bodies fighting for dominance, each looking for something different._

_Or perhaps the same._

_Sephiroth laughs quietly, his eyes pitiless. "You fought harder a thousand years ago, Cloud," he taunts._

_Which, of course, is hardly fair. A thousand years ago they fought side-by-side against the Heartless, fought to vanquish them once and for all and rid Earth of their evil scourge. How can he be expected to fight as passionately against a man he once loved? Possibly loves still?_

_Sephiroth reaches out and flutters his fingers over Cloud's face, momentarily startling the younger Angel into lowering his guard. The long sword Sephiroth carries carves a glittering arc and plunges into Cloud's chest, too high to puncture his heart. Cloud grunts, his wings folding close to his body, sword falling away as the pair plummet to Earth._

_"We don't have to fight at all," Sephiroth whispers in Cloud's ear. "Not each other. You can still stand beside me, Cloud."_

_Cloud's wings fan out, his body twisting as he wrenches himself free of the blade. Blood splatters the ground as he narrowly misses hitting down hard. Panting, covering his wound while retrieving his sword, Cloud glares at his once-friend._

_"You tried to kill Sora," he growls. "You almost _did_ kill Sora!"_

_"So does he wish to fight me now?" Sephiroth counters. He laughs derisively. "I doubt that. You won't win against me, Cloud. Your heart's not in it."_

Face contorting with pain that has nothing to do with his wound, Cloud lunges at his enemy, their swords clashing. The shriek and grind of metal is enough to make a person want to weep, and blood covers the ground in a red flood . . .

Sora sat bolt upright in bed, gasping, eyes wide and sightless. His chest felt too tight for breath. Moments later warm hands were on him, soothing and comforting, startling him. Turning, he saw the human girl, Kairi, sitting beside him on the bed. He blinked, trying to will his body to calm down.

"Sorry," she said, her red-brown eyes sad. "You've been crying in your sleep for almost an hour."

Blinking, realizing his face was indeed wet, Sora wiped at his eyes. "Sorry," he mumbled, the image of Sephiroth and Cloud fighting still fresh in his mind. "Bad dream."

Kairi's hands pushed insistently at his shoulders, urging him to lay down. After a moment of resistance he gave in to her demand, still feeling a little uncomfortable around her. It was weird that she remembered him as friend and to him she was a perfect stranger.

And yet . . . when he lay his head on her lap, his fears and pain vanished, simply melting away like a dim memory. Sighing, breathing in her sweet scent, he closed his eyes again and felt himself drift off into an untroubled sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to leave the shelter of the house. With the Aura of Light still in place, he was safe there from Heartless. But he wasn't afraid of them, and he needed some time to do some serious thinking. 

Ten years ago, Sephiroth had left Heaven. Ten years ago the foundation of Sora's life had been shaken to the core. Sephiroth, someone he loved and trusted, had nearly killed him, abandoning all he believed in. At least, all he claimed to believe in. Cloud had followed him, disappearing from Sora's life for almost as long. Aerith and Tifa had only brought him back just over a year ago, but Sora's life had not been the same since.

Sure, learning to use his power as Key of Heaven had taken up a lot of his time. It was easy to focus on that and nothing else, to bask in the seemingly endless love of God, his uncle and protector.

"Why did my mother leave Heaven?"

It was an innocent question he'd posed eleven years ago. His uncle had never really given him an answer. Sora stopped walking and leaned against a wide tree. His head hurt. Worse, his heart hurt. Absently rubbing his chest, he tried to sort through everything rushing around in his mind.

_"Why did my mother leave Heaven?"_

Darkness. What a hideous entity. Cold and hateful, it seemed to exist only to cause pain. Having experienced its evil firsthand, Sora knew it could not be reasoned with. The Heartless were just mindless manifestations of the Dark. That was what God had told him.

So then why had he heard voices when falling into the Dark? Why had he felt such intense pain coming from the Dark? How were the Heartless formed? Why were they formed?

"Why do you hate Heaven?"

That question was posed to Sephiroth. Shortly after Sora had been chosen as the new Key. Sephiroth could not hide his displeasure from Sora, though at the time Sora could not identify it. He'd wondered if Sephiroth was bothered at being replaced by someone so obviously inexperienced.

_"Why do you hate Heaven?"_

Now, he wasn't so sure. Now, he wasn't sure what to believe. He _knew_ Sephiroth. He wasn't the kind of person to harbor shallow feelings. It wasn't possible to lie to an Angel, so Sora just knew. It made his betrayal impossible to accept or understand.

_Why do you hate Heaven?_

"Didn't I tell you not to look at me like that?"

For some reason, the familiar voice didn't make Sora jump. It did make his heart twist painfully, though. There, standing beyond the break in the trees, right on a steep rise, stood Sephiroth. Bathed in the dying light of day with black wings spilling down his back Sora still loved to see him.

"Sephiroth," he whispered.

-

"Where's Sora?" Cloud demanded, bright blue eyes glaring down at the two human children.

Both of them looked worried and guilty. "We don't know," Kairi replied, shifting. "He just disappeared."

Trying hard not to take his anger out on them, Cloud whirled and stalked toward the door. "When I get back, I'll finish with you two." He could see neither of them liked that ominous wording. They weren't his problem.

Somehow, he just _knew_ something terrible was going to happen.

-

"Why do you hate Heaven?" he blurted.

For a moment, Sephiroth actually looked taken aback. Just for a moment. Then he smiled. It was a dark, mirthless smile. "Still innocent," he murmured, "even after all I've done. You should ask your brother, little Angel. He knows."

"Sephiroth," Sora begged, feeling desperate without knowing why.

The dark Angel laughed. In a flash his long sword was extended, its point digging into Sora's throat. "Don't be like them, Sora," he said in a deathly still voice. "I would hate to have to destroy you."

Swallowing erratically, Sora resisted the urge to step back. "I don't know what you mean," he asked in a raspy voice.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Coming from you, I could almost believe that. Do you even know what '_Key of Heaven_' means, Sora?"

Now thoroughly confused, Sora shook his head, regretting it when the sword pierced his skin and drew blood. Sucking in a shallow breath, he backed up. Not surprisingly, Sephiroth followed him.

"You had the right question a long time ago," the dark Angel said in that still voice again. "Why did your mother leave Heaven."

Blink. Feeling like they weren't on the same wavelength, Sora tried to marshal his thoughts into coherency. "Do . . . do you know?" he asked.

"Then? No," Sephiroth mused, his eyes focusing inward. Then flaring again. "Now? Yes. Because she could. And because she saw what I see."

The blade dug deeper. Unable to stop the reaction, Sora reached up and grabbed it, cutting his fingers, trying to relieve the pressure on his throat. "Wh-what do you see?" he gasped, starting to feel vaguely panicky.

Sephiroth smiled. An unbearably black smile. "A god who only pretends to be all-loving." The blade sank into Sora's throat.

-

"Sephiroth!"

He didn't have to turn much to locate the source of that angered, pained cry. Sliding his blade free with practiced ease, he didn't watch Sora fall without a sound. Nor did he have to look to know Cloud's own sword was drawn and descending on him with alarming speed. He whipped his sword around to block the downward slash.

Eyes nearly the same shade of blue met. Gold and silver. White and black. Two men who could not be more different, who could not be more similar. Sephiroth looked at the only being in this existence who understood him, knew his reasoning, knew his mind.

"Don't worry," he said, voice smoother than wet silk, "he's not dead. Not yet."

Only Cloud could look at someone like that—a mixture of pain and acceptance, hatred and longing. A perfect contradiction in a glance, things that should not belong together moving side-by-side through his eyes. There was everything in his gaze . . . and yet, nothing at all.

"I won't let you take him!" Cloud snarled, his wings beating for altitude even as he once more slammed his sword down.

Anyone lesser would have crumpled under the sheer force of that blow. Sephiroth was not lesser. In all of Heaven only he had been more powerful than Cloud. That had not changed.

Swords clashed as Sephiroth spread his own wings and leaped at his adversary. "Still the same Cloud," he mused, mirth colored with darkness. "You still lack conviction."

In an epic clash Dark Angel and Arch Angel met in battle, swords flashing spectacularly in the slowly fading sunlight. So fast a mortal would have had trouble following the pair wove through the sky, faces determined and focused solely on each other.

"You can't defeat me, Cloud," Sephiroth said with a ghost of a smile. "Especially with that doubt in your heart." Steel met steel and Cloud's sword fell from the sky.

Sephiroth's slash had Cloud following it. As soon as Cloud hit the ground he rolled, narrowly missing the downward plunge of Sephiroth's sword. The next one he wasn't so lucky. It buried itself in his shoulder, pinning him to the ground. Only a thin hiss of pain escaped the Arch Angel as Sephiroth bore down on him.

"And we both know why the doubt is there," Sephiroth said, his dark smile coming back. "I know you're not too stupid to ignore it, Cloud. So why are you ignoring it?"

Cloud glared up at Sephiroth, his eyes giving nothing away. "You don't get it," he hissed. "You never did get it. I'm not like you!"

Snorting, Sephiroth wrenched his sword free, holding it pointed right at Cloud's heart. "No. But that light of yours will go out, one way or another." He plunged it back down.

"NO!"

Sephiroth aborted the downward plunge just in time to avoid skewering Sora. The young Angel had thrown himself across his brother, shielding him with his body, like he had done years ago.

"Sora," Sephiroth spat. "You're blind, just like them. You refuse to open your eyes. Your god is deceiving you!"

Sora turned his head to glare at Sephiroth, and there were tears in his eyes. "I don't care about that! But you two shouldn't be fighting each other!"

Momentarily stilled, Sephiroth gazed down at the boy. How strange that a simple statement could so easily put things into perspective. Not that he didn't agree. But Sora was still blind. Still too damn innocent.

"I'll make you see," he said quietly, "if I have to destroy you!" Leaning down, he grabbed one of Sora's wings and jerked him upright, hauling him off Cloud easily.

Cloud rose to a sitting position, his wound already mostly healed. Sora's throat was completely healed by now. Well, then how about an injury that may never heal? His sword flashed again, slicing through muscle and tendon like a hot knife through butter.

Sora screamed. Sephiroth had never heard the boy utter such an agonized sound. Obviously neither had Cloud as he stared at his brother, who fell to his hands and knees. In Sephiroth's hand the severed wing vanished in a haze of glimmering white, a few feathers falling lightly to the ground.

Sephiroth met Cloud's eye as the Arch Angel moved to his brother's side. Blood poured down Sora's back, soaking his shirt instantly. It was hard to say whether Cloud's gaze was more hateful or stricken.

_How could I have come to this if our god were the loving god he claims to be?_ Sephiroth's eyes demanded. His black wings curled around him, and he disappeared.


	12. Chapter 12

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** Maybe the rating should be 'M' for violence. Do you guys think that last chapter was a little much?

* * *

Kairi sat as close to Riku as she could without actually sitting _on_ him. She could not stop the trembling deep in her body, could not help the tremor in her voice when she asked, "Will he be okay?"

Cloud, the Arch Angel whose presence dominated the room, paced like a caged animal, his blue eyes tormented. There was blood on his shirt, too, but through the torn fabric she could see no wound.

"This is my fault," he ground out. Again. "I should never have let him stay here."

The two women came down the stairs, then, their faces extremely grave. "Cloud," the one named Aerith said softly, "Sora's dying. We can't stay here."

Kairi's heart did its damndest to pound out of her chest. "But . . ." she whispered, "he's an Angel. Surely . . . Angels can't die?"

Cloud ignored her, but Aerith smiled a little sadly. "They can," she said in a soft, low voice. "It's not easy to kill an Angel, but it can be done."

"If we get him back to Heaven, he will heal," Tifa added, shifting to look at Cloud. "We can't waste any time."

"Why didn't Aravis protect him!" Cloud burst out, whirling like an angry tiger with no outlet for its rage.

Casting a quick glance at Tifa, Aerith strode across the distance and wrapped her hands around Cloud's. "Come on," she said gently. "We have to go."

He looked down at Riku and Kairi, the expression on his face making Kairi flinch. God but she never wanted to make him angry.

"I'll have to come back and deal with them," he said, turning to go upstairs.

Riku bounded to his feet, startling Kairi. "Take us with you," he said. It sounded less like a command than a demand. "Let us come."

Kairi could actually feel Cloud's disparagement like a physical touch. "Impossible," he said, disregarding them at once.

"We care about Sora, too!" Riku snapped, running forward to put himself right in Cloud's way. "Maybe we're not Angels, but there still has to be something we can do!"

For a moment Kairi was afraid Cloud would simply mow Riku down. He certainly looked ready to do just that. But Aerith once more took his hands, and her green eyes were kind.

"Cloud," was all she said.

And like that, the powerful Arch Angel relented. "All right," he said. "I'll take Sora. Aerith, Tifa, you follow with them. I can't wait."

Both women nodded, and Cloud pushed past Riku up to where Sora lay stricken. Riku deflated as though he'd won a terrible battle that had not been as bad as he'd feared. Kairi waited for the three of them to come back to where she still sat.

"So what happened to him?" she asked, feeling safer to do so now that Cloud was gone.

Tifa sat beside her, running slim fingers through her shiny black hair. "There was a battle," she said at length, eyes tired and sad. "A long time ago, Cloud was very close to an Angel named Sephiroth. They fought the Heartless together, battled the Darkness, and banished the Queen of Darkness back to Hell."

"Are Heartless those creatures we saw the other day?" Riku asked.

Tifa nodded. "Yes. They are souls that died filled with anger, pain, and hate. The Darkness claimed them, consuming them. Now they seek out the light, wanting to destroy it." She paused, as though it physically pained her to continue.

Aerith picked up their tale. "But Sephiroth left Heaven," she said. "It pained Cloud so much he too left Heaven, to search for Sephiroth."

"Why did he leave?" Kairi asked quietly. This all seemed so . . . big. Unreal.

Aerith shook her head. "I don't know. But he . . . changed. He wanted to destroy everything. Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Just now Sephiroth found Sora, and Cloud confronted him. But Sephiroth . . ." She trailed off, suddenly looking like she might cry.

Tifa took a deep breath, looking at both Riku and Kairi in turn. "He cut Sora's wing off," she said very quietly.

So quietly, in fact, that Kairi almost didn't hear. When it settled like a lead weight in her brain, she stared in horror at the two Arch Angels. But that . . . Sora's wing scars had been so sensitive . . .

"Shit," Riku breathed.

A very irreverent thing to say, considering their company. But there seemed nothing else to say.

"Will it ever heal?" Kairi quavered. "I mean, can . . . Angels' wings grow back?"

Both of them looked so sad, so ageless in that moment. "I don't know," Aerith said eventually. "Not usually."

Hearing that hurt. A heavy pain deep in her chest. Then Riku startled her again.

"Cloud wants to erase our memories, doesn't he?" he said in a flat voice.

Both Arch Angels looked surprised. "Yes," Tifa said before Aerith could open her mouth. "But he wants what's best for you. These things that are going on right now, they weren't meant for humans. If it's what you want I'll talk to Cloud about you, but you should know what you're getting in to."

Kairi jumped up at once, standing beside her best friend. "Of course we do! These last few days haven't exactly been normal, you know. But we want to be with Sora, doing whatever we can, even if it's just supporting him."

Now Aerith spoke, smiling softly. "You're good kids," she said warmly. "I'll speak with Cloud, too. He usually listens to his soul mate." She smiled a bit ruefully.

"All right then, now that we've decided we're on your side," Tifa said, standing with a small grin. "Let's go. I'm sure you want to see Sora. Be prepared, though. I don't know how God will take to humans being in Heaven."

"It'll be all right," Aerith said soothingly. "He's very benevolent."

Though Kairi hoped so, she was ready to face an army of those awful Heartless to stay by Sora's side if she had to. She just _knew_ that's where she and Riku belonged.

-

Aerith watched Cloud pace, again. Everything about him radiated restless tension, his eyes drawn and lips tight. She wanted to let him speak first, but she could not read his face, and he said nothing. Finally, not wanting him to keep it inside like a plague, she touched his arm.

"What?" she inquired gently.

He stopped, the earring in his left ear glinting dully in the light. After a brief pause he loosened his clenched jaw. "What was he thinking?" he growled.

Aerith blinked. "Who?"

"Aravis! How could he let this happen? Sora is supposed to be protected by the Key!"

Oh. She should have known. "I don't know," she said softly, trying to soothe him, "but I'll ask him if you want."

For a moment she thought he might wrench away from her. Then he sighed, slumping against the balcony rail overlooking Heaven. "What the hell was Sephiroth trying to do?"

That she could neither answer nor find out for him. "Only you can answer that," she said presently. "You're the only one who knows why he left Heaven."

Cloud's face shuttered. Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath. "Talk to Aravis for me," he said quietly, but his tone made it a plea rather than a command.

Nodding, she leaned up and lightly kissed him before retreating.

-

Cloud watched her go. It was all wrong. Everything was so wrong. It shouldn't have been like this. He didn't know whether to be more angry or tired. _You didn't have to do this to teach me a lesson, Sephiroth_, he thought dimly. _I know you think Sora's too innocent, but at this rate you're just going to break him._

Damn it all. Sora was going to want to know why Sephiroth had done that. And he would come to Cloud for answers. He knew very well his brother still wanted to love Sephiroth. He doubted anything short of a universal catastrophe could change that.

_I have to talk to him. I have to tell him why things are the way they are. Otherwise this will destroy him._

Part of him, a very _large_ part of him, didn't want Sora's innocence to be tarnished. It was one of many things that made him so beautiful, so pure. But . . . that innocence kept getting in the way. Everything was different now, no matter how wrong. And if the only way he could protect Sora was to taint that innocence, then that was what he would do.

-

Sora fought his way out of an inky black sleep only to wish he hadn't. He'd never been in this kind of pain. Not when Sephiroth had nearly killed him the first time. That wound had healed in a day. This pain was deeper, running in fiery arcs through his entire body, radiating from the place where his wing should have been.

The agony was so intense it brought reactionary tears to his eyes. Blinking fiercely he tried to move, to sit up, to look around only to find he couldn't. A terrible weakness pervaded his entire being, so he only managed to turn his head a little.

He was alone. In his room. He knew he had to have been asleep for a long time, because he didn't remember returning to Heaven. And further, if his injury had not healed in one of the highest levels of Heaven, it may never properly heal. As far as he knew, no Angel had ever had a wing cut off.

A thin moan bubbled up from his throat. "Cloud . . ." he whimpered, _really_ not wanting to be alone right now.

Less than a heartbeat later his brother walked through the door, looking especially grim in his black clothing as opposed to the traditional white robes Angels wore in Heaven. Even a day ago, Sora might have wondered why his brother had not changed. Right now, he didn't care.

Cloud's movement toward him wasn't rushed or frantic, but his brother couldn't quite conceal his concern as he carefully sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Sora's hair.

"How do you feel?" he murmured.

"It hurts," Sora answered honestly, though he only half meant his physical injury.

He could see Cloud understood that. His eyes, more green in them than Sora's, were filled with something sad and tired as he looked down at his much younger brother. "It may never heal properly," he said at length, "and it will probably never grow back."

After a moment, Sora just nodded. He didn't know what to say, and it didn't matter as much to him at the moment. For a time he just looked at Cloud, who looked back, expression unchanged.

"Please," Sora finally said.

Cloud needed nothing more. "Are you sure?"

Sora nodded again.

"All right," Cloud whispered, gently pulling his brother to his chest and holding him. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth and told Sora why Sephiroth left Heaven.


	13. Chapter 13

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** ?

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

"Sora?"

Blinking, feeling as though he were moving in slow motion, Sora turned away from the wide window that had no glass. It was never cold, wet, or harsh in Heaven, so shelter was not required. Walls were only built for the pleasure of the viewing eye, and to have some privacy against other Angels. Here in the second highest level of Heaven, where only Arch Angels resided, privacy was hardly needed.

Moving still hurt. Especially trying to move his left arm. It was wrapped in white, a soft sling holding it immobile against his chest.

Kairi and Riku stood just across the threshold, both of them looking worried and tired. He was surprised Cloud had agreed to bring them to Heaven, but part of him was glad, too.

"Come in," he said softly, moving away from the window. He remembered leaping from the high ledge to take to Heaven's endless skies, soaring or just drifting with his brother. It took all his will power not to cry; he would never fly again.

The two humans walked into his room. Kairi, her lovely eyes filled with sorrow, stepped forward and gently embraced him, her arms careful of his back. Sora allowed her, though he still felt a bit awkward around them. Feeling her compassion made it harder not to break down, but he managed.

When she released him, he sniffed a little. "Sorry about all this," he said, shifting his feet. "It's . . . um, gotta be weird for you."

Kairi shook her head, but it was Riku who replied. "Even if it is," he said, "we both feel like it's right, being with you. That's why we're here. We don't care if your memories don't come back. We'll make new ones."

Sora turned away, a twisted smile breaking over his face. "I can't fly," he said somewhat bitterly.

Riku moved, stepping right in front of Sora. "Neither can we."

Blink. Well, that certainly was true. That twisted smile changed into something more real. "I could show you around, if you want," he offered.

Both of them smiled. Kairi took his free hand in both of hers, squeezing a little. Sora couldn't help but notice how warm her skin was, how soft, and how right it felt to have her hold his hand.

-

The Queen of Darkness sighed, absently drumming her fingers against her staff. Behind her stretched the vast, unending Darkness. Before her stood the twelve Dark Angels who had left Heaven to pledge themselves to her cause. Xemnas, the tall Angel with silvery-blue hair and eyes that seemed always faintly sad, gave her a slight bow.

"You sent for us?"

"Yes," Maleficent said, trying to sort everything out in her mind. "First, Axel?"

The wiry, slim figure stepped out of the crowd, his flame-spiked hair always drawing the eye immediately. "Yes, Dark Queen."

"Have you done as I asked concerning the human boy?"

"Yes," Axel said, the upside-down triangle marks under his eyes drawing Maleficent's attention. "He left the university with his friend Kairi and the Key of Heaven, Sora, but as far as I can see he doesn't know who he is."

Riku. He was an interesting way to occupy time. A half-Angel, half-human hybrid in a world where Angels and humans no longer lived side-by-side. Maleficent remembered a time when Earth and Heaven were close, relying on each other for everything, humans loving Angels and 'God' alike. That had been a fine time to be alive, but then everything had changed. Aravis, her older brother, had changed.

Maleficent nodded absently. It was about time to change that. "Where are they now?"

"Heaven," Axel replied. "The Arch Angels took them to Heaven."

Well. That was surprising. Aravis had forbidden that long ago. Claimed mortals weren't ready for the truth. What a crock. "How interesting. Then they defied their god. Axel, thank you for your attention to the matter. Xemnas, I want you and Saix to find Sephiroth and tell him his brother is still alive. Perhaps he will be more inclined to join my cause if he finds out I have protected Riku all this time."

Both of them looked a little skeptical; she could hardly blame them. Sephiroth was perhaps the most powerful being Heaven had ever spawned, Sora notwithstanding. He was the child of the former Queen of Heaven. Maleficent's older sister. Someone to whom she had once been very close.

"We will do what we can," Xemnas said, inclining his head.

Her Dark Angels left her, and she turned to the Darkness. "Hear me, wretched Heartless," she said in echoing tones. "The day of your redemption is near. Fight for me just a little longer, and you will find salvation."

The Darkness twisted and churned in reply. Smiling, an expression that no longer reached her eyes, Maleficent turned away from the pitiful, living proof of "God's" lies. She hated the Heartless. Or, rather, she hated what they meant. Hated that they existed at all.

The Darkness seethed in response to her hatred. Unlike the light, Darkness actually understood her.

-

Sephiroth felt them long before he saw them. Dark Angels. Making sure his scorn was readily visible, he turned seconds before they materialized. Not surprisingly, Xemnas and Saix stood there. Alone, neither of them could challenge him. Together, they still couldn't. He snorted.

"You might as well save your breath. Whatever your queen wants, I am not interested."

Xemnas, with his strange eyes always faintly sad folded his hands inside the sleeves of his black robes. "You might be interested this time," he said. "She actually wants nothing other than to impart a little knowledge."

Only distantly curious, Sephiroth merely raised an eyebrow to let them know he was listening.

"I know you believe your half-brother was killed by Heartless," Saix began. "Actually, Riku is still alive."

Well. Imagine that. They'd managed to surprise him. It didn't show on his face. "Oh?" That sounded flat uninterested.

"You don't care?" Xemnas inquired.

Sephiroth half turned away. "No," he said at length. Hearing that didn't change his plans at all.

"Then maybe you'll care about this," the Dark Angel said. "Riku belongs in an unusual circle. Most souls only link with one individual—their soul mate. Riku's soul is linked with two other souls."

Sephiroth turned away a little more to show them they were in danger of losing him.

"One of them is Sora," Saix concluded.

Oh. _Oh_. That _was_ interesting. Things like that weren't supposed to happen in God's idyllic little power-mongering world. Linked souls had more power together than one soul—Cloud and Aerith were a prime example. Those two could not be defeated when together because they were simply too strong.

But if _Sora_ was linked to _two_ souls, his power as both Key of Heaven and the son of the Queen of Heaven would, in effect, triple. Meaning he could certainly defeat Sephiroth, and he could challenge and defeat Aravis. In fact, Sora could very probably challenge the entire Darkness and win.

"Indeed," he said. Still not letting his interest show. Abruptly he turned his back to them. "This does not change my plans."

"The Queen of Darkness saved him," Xemnas said quietly. It wasn't a plea for Sephiroth's attention, nor was there any desperation in it. Simply a quiet request to take that into consideration. "Though his memories are blocked, he is safe."

A decade ago, that would have mattered a great deal to Sephiroth, that his brother was safe and alive. Now, though, he could summon nothing more than a vague sense of closure. It didn't change what he wanted to do in the slightest. He showed his appreciation by not attacking the two messengers, simply walking away.

"So you're still alive, Riku?" Sephiroth mused. "That's too bad. Now I have to kill you."

There was only one person he wanted to save. And that person was probably someone who would flat refused to _be_ saved. Sephiroth found himself grinning faintly. There, at the end of all things, only he and Cloud would be left. As for which of them would win, well, only time would tell.

-

"Heaven sure is beautiful," Kairi murmured, basking in the feel of Sora's warm hand captured in her own. He had not once tried to shake free of her; indeed, he seemed just as happy about it. It just felt so right. As though they'd been doing this all their lives and longer.

"How old are you?" Riku asked from Sora's other side.

Sora, long still and quiet between them, lifted his head to look at the taller human youth. "I've been alive for eighty-two years. I know that must seem old to humans, but my brother, Cloud, is almost five-thousand years old. Aerith is even older."

"Really?" Riku said as though he found that weird.

Sora offered a tiny little grin, nodding. "She's actually one of the oldest Arch Angels in Heaven."

"She's pretty," Kairi said a little dreamily, thinking of both her and Tifa. She loved how the two Angels looked with their white wings spilling down their backs. That inevitably made her think of Sora's injury. His wings, though she'd only glimpsed them, had been breathtaking, too. Raising her hand she lightly caressed his back. "How are you doing, anyway?"

She felt him lean subtly into her touch. "Better, actually," he replied softly. "You two make me feel . . . better."

Riku gave him a stern look. "That's because we don't let you feel sorry for yourself."

Kairi giggled. Then sobered. "When you were with us on Earth, we showed you a movie. You cried because the people killed each other."

Sora looked away. "I don't like seeing people suffer. I didn't even know what war was until about twelve years ago. I've been sheltered all my life. Cloud told me it's because no one wanted to see my innocence tainted."

Certainly Kairi could understand that. Thinking about the Sora she'd known only a week ago, the one without any memories, his painful innocence had been the first thing to draw her in. She'd wanted to shelter him, too. She still did.

Riku idly traced patterns on the grass. "Sometimes, though, that only makes all the terrible stuff seem that much more . . . terrible," he said slowly. "Everyone's gotta meet up with reality sometime. Putting off the inevitable only makes it harder."

It was as if Sora lost his strength all at once. One moment he was sitting up, next he was crumpling into Kairi, face turned into her lap. She could hear the harsh, quiet sounds of his weeping, and it tore at her heart. Looking up at Riku with tears in her eyes she refused to shed, she carefully wrapped her arms around Sora and held him, whispering in his ear.

Riku rose from his lazy position. "I'll go get Cloud."

She nodded and he left. Kairi managed to pull Sora against her chest, tucking his head beneath her chin and rocking him, humming softly. "It's all right, Sora," she whispered. "The pain won't last forever. Shh, it's okay. Don't cry." She hummed an old Earth lullaby, stroking his soft auburn hair.

Eventually he pulled himself together. Kairi absently wondered what was taking Riku so long as Sora finally stilled against her, the tears glittering on his cheeks. Leaning down she pressed gentle kisses to his eyelids, making him open them to look at her. Their eyes met, and for the first time in her life Kairi felt something deep, _deep_ inside her stirring. A kind of longing mixed with anticipation, a sort of needing mingling with excitement. And a sense of _absolute right_ness.

There was no hesitation or uncertainty as she slowly lowered her head to feather the lightest of kisses over his slightly-moist lips. He was the one who leaned up for a second one, this time more than a mere touch. It was so soft, so tender. She deepened it after a moment of gentle contact, slowly encouraging his response. His lips parted for her, allowing her loving invasion.

Never in her life had she been so sure of anything. She belonged with Sora. He was hers, as surely as she was his. There was no doubt, no wondering, no guessing. It was a sublime _knowing_, one as steady and constant as the sun.

Sora's free hand tangled with hers, their fingers intertwining and locking. Kairi broke away first, pressing tender kisses to his forehead, cheeks, and across the bridge of his nose. Sora closed his eyes and sighed faintly, the pain and tension gone from his face. He looked peaceful again, his fingers tightening around hers.

Then she just held him, running her thumb over the back of his hand. There was no need for words, so neither of them spoke. When Riku finally returned with Cloud, she wondered if he'd delayed on purpose to give her some time alone with Sora.

If so, she deeply appreciated it. Because now she knew for certain. She loved Sora with all her heart.


	14. Interlude

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** Okay everyone, it's decided, and I could not resist. The main pairing is Sora/Kairi, though this story is still more about the action than the romance.

* * *

Cloud flew through Heaven's endless skies, traveling until he reached his location. This was a part of Heaven he had not been for a long time. The home of the Avenger, Vincent, Heaven's darkest Angel. A long, long time ago Vincent had fallen from Heaven like Sora. It was Cloud and Tifa who had found him and brought him back.

Folding his wings, Cloud plummeted to the ground, only spreading his wings again at the last moment. He landed lightly, wings vanishing. Into the arched, domed house where Vincent lived Cloud moved, eyes alert.

"Vincent," he called.

Moments later the Arch Angel appeared, the warrior's garb he wore rather than white robes making him look starkly out of place. His red cloak fell around him like a wall of blood rather than soft, rippling fabric.

"Why are you here, Cloud?" he asked in that low, soft, almost raspy voice.

That was Vincent. Never mincing words. "I have a question," Cloud replied.

"About Sephiroth?" Vincent guessed.

"Only partly. I wanted to know what happened when you fell from Heaven."

Vincent actually looked surprised. "That was a long time ago."

"It's important," Cloud said. Vincent had always been reluctant to talk about it, but now he needed to know.

Red-orange eyes met brilliant blue-green. The two Arch Angels merely looked at each other for a long time, each gauging the other, trying to guess what he was thinking. Finally Vincent stirred.

"Are you sure you want to know, Cloud?"

"Yes. I have to."

"It won't protect Sora."

"I know that."

Vincent nodded. "All right."

-

_"Once, a long time ago, Angels and humans lived side-by-side in peace. Heaven and Earth abided by a deep and trusting friendship. They allied against the Darkness. They fought the pitiful Heartless the Darkness spawned. Earth trusted Heaven for protection, just as Heaven trusted Earth for humility. They completed each other, and together they were nearly perfect."_

_What changed?_

_"God did. Aravis was not a god in the beginning. He became a god because of the tremendous power he amassed."_

_This doesn't affect me. Why are you telling me this?_

_"Because it does, Riku. You are not what you believe. You have the power to change things if you so desire. Because you are half Angel."_

_That's absurd. I remember my family. My human family._

"That's what you've been given to believe. Your true memories were blocked. Let me show you who you once were."

-

Sora woke himself up rolling onto his back. He nearly screamed when red-hot pain lanced all the way down his side, momentarily freezing him. When it released him from its clawed grip he lay still, panting, perspiration beading on his brow. Panting, gritting his teeth, he rolled off the bed, awkwardly landing on his feet.

The wound where his wing should have been burned. Sora felt tears trying to fall past his lashes, but he blinked furiously. He was tired of crying. To wasn't even the pain anymore that made them come. It was . . .

"Sephiroth," he murmured, walking slowly out onto the balcony.

Like Earth, Heaven had its own moon. It hung large and perfectly round, its shade a pale blue-purple. Even at night it was warm and gentle in Heaven, never harsh or cold. Where, then, had this awful turmoil bred? He hung his head. It was beyond 'not fair.' It plain and simple made no sense.

"I want to understand," he whispered, fingers clenching on the rail.

"Wish granted," a deep, familiar voice whispered in his ear.

And just like that, he was falling.


	15. Chapter 15

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

The feeling was familiar, this time. That sense of absolute cold, so deep in his body it could not be chased out. It burned like fire, but it wasn't hot. He couldn't breathe, but when he opened his mouth, the Darkness flooded in. Choking him. Trying to assimilate him into its inky black self. Like a live thing churning around him, tightening so he couldn't move. 

This time, though, it seemed to know he was injured. With unerring accuracy it found the semi-healed wound where his wing used to be and stabbed into it, searing into him, burrowing deep like a plague. Sora would have screamed if he'd had a voice. Reactionary tears formed in his eyes, but they froze as soon as they reached his cheeks.

How long? How long did he flounder in the Darkness, lost and alone, scared and in agony? How long did he listen to the voices all around him, the voices that did not speak but were there just the same, the voices that made no sound and yet screamed out in pain and anger? Their hatred was so intense it physically hurt, an ache taking up residence just beneath the surface pains already flaring over his skin. If only he could fly, he was certain he could have escaped.

After what felt like the worst eternity of his life, Sora felt something slowly change. The Darkness stopped holding him and then he could move, a space clearing before him. It was bizarre to see the Darkness moving, for he couldn't really _see_ anything change. Even so he knew it changed as the Dark ripped and opened, and there before him appeared a young girl.

She looked about ten. Maybe a little younger. It was hard to tell. Her face was haggard and weary, a kind of resigned fear lingering in her big brown eyes. Sora stared at her, wondering what he was seeing. A hallucination? What possible reason could there be for seeing a child in the Darkness?

Blinking, she looked up and saw him. Surprise flashed over her eyes. "Who are you?" she asked in a dry voice.

Sora felt like he was being crushed by an invisible fist the size of a mountain. He approached her, trying to sort out what was going on. "My name's Sora," he said, sitting in front of her. "What's yours?"

"Marlene," she answered, blinking again.

It reminded Sora of an owl. "Marlene," he repeated, trying to smile. "What are you doing here?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I've been here for a long time. I just woke up here one day."

Angels were gifted with a sort of sixth sense when it came to what lay in people's hearts. Men and women possessed by the Darkness were like twisted beacons. This girl, however, was as innocent as a dove, heart pure and untainted. So then _what was she doing here?_

"What happened?" he asked.

Now she looked down. "I don't know. I've been waiting for the darkness to go away. Mama said if I was a good girl and prayed to God and believed in him he would save me."

Sora's heart clenched painfully in his chest. That's what he'd believed, too. It was God's promise. He would protect the innocent from the Darkness and the Heartless. That's what the Angels did. Fought to protect the innocent mortal humans. _Wasn't it?_

Marlene abruptly smiled. It was a tired smile, but it still radiated from her large eyes. "I'm glad you're here, Sora. I've been alone for . . . it feels like forever."

Sora tried to return her smile, but it caught on his lips like bitter poison. Surely God had to know about this. Surely he would not condemn an innocent girl to a lifetime trapped in the Darkness?

"What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked, seeming more comfortable now. Less frightened.

What a question. How could he say someone he loved and had once trusted had pushed him into the Darkness? He had no idea why Sephiroth had done it, nor if the dark Angel intended to leave him here.

"I fell," he said instead of explaining all that.

She made no comment. "God will save us," she said with conviction.

There was no doubt in her eyes. Sora felt like crying. Instead he nodded. "Of course he will."

Looking hesitant for a moment, Marlene rose and climbed into his arms, tucking her head against his shoulder. "I'm glad you're here, Sora," she murmured. "I was lonely and scared."

This time, Sora couldn't quite stop the tears. They burned angry trails down his cheeks. Was it possible that God just didn't know Marlene was here? He held her tightly. _I'll save you,_ he thought fiercely, trying to keep from shamelessly weeping. _I won't let the Darkness take you, Marlene._

For a time, the little girl babbled on about things. Her mother, her best friend, her pet dog, her pet rabbit. Her sweet voice washed over him, almost as painful to hear as the silent, pained cries from the Darkness. Then, though nothing changed, something _changed_.

Something was tugging Marlene from his arms. The little girl gasped, tightening her hold on Sora. In response he held her tighter. If the Darkness was going to claim her, he would die before allowing that!

"Don't go, Sora," she whispered, and he was surprised she didn't sound scared. Just . . . tired.

"I won't," he promised, clutching her so tightly he could barely breathe.

Then, suddenly, something gripped him hard and _yanked_. Or rather, some_one_. Hard, unrelenting fingers closed around his arms, and he looked up to see Sephiroth. The grip was painful, and when Sephiroth jerked again the Darkness pulled Marlene free of his embrace.

"No!" he cried, struggling to regain his hold on her.

Sephiroth tightened his own hold, his hand clapping over Sora's mouth as the young Angel fought. "Don't look away, Sora," the man's voice hissed in his ear. "This is the truth you wanted."

Sora sobbed behind Sephiroth's hand, his fingers compulsively grabbing Sephiroth's wrists and squeezing. No. _No_. This couldn't be happening. How could God allow this to be happening? He watched, utterly horrified, as the Darkness finally broke into Marlene, causing the little girl to open her mouth in a soundless cry.

Thrashing wildly, Sora struggled harder to go to her, to reach her, to help her, to _do something_. But Sephiroth's hold was implacable. And suddenly, all around him, the Darkness came alive with wailing, keening cries of unimaginable pain, unbearable anger, and intolerable hate. Unintelligible sounds broke into cries for help, understanding, and mercy. Incoherent rage turned into helpless anger at an undeserved plight.

_God, oh god,_ Sora thought, tears pouring down his cheeks as his strength evaporated. How many people in that vast, writhing expanse were innocent people condemned to this hideous fate? No wonder the Heartless were such hateful, mindless creatures! Sora felt like his very soul was breaking down, falling apart, tearing itself to shreds.

Then the Darkness and Sephiroth were gone, the dark surrounding him now wholly different from the endless black of before. Normal darkness. Caused by shadows instead of pain and hate.

"Wow, you didn't handle that so well, did you?" came an amused voice.

Looking up, vision blurred by tears, Sora gazed at a tall blonde girl. Her eyes were filled with a strange mixture of scorn and pity. He'd never seen her before, but he could sense she was a Dark Angel.

"Larxene," she said. "An Angel of Darkness. An evil soul who turned away from God." She made a rude sound, and now her eyes were leaden with disdain. "So, you want to know the truth?"

On hands and knees in front of her, Sora tried to breathe around the pain. Everywhere. He hurt everywhere it was possible to hurt, and not just his physical body. Breathing was normally such a simple exercise, but right now it was all he could marshal his body to do. The wound where his wing had been seared its pain deep into his core. Still, he nodded.

"Are you sure about that?" she said, but her voice was only a little mocking. She actually sounded a little concerned.

"Yes," Sora gasped, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"All right," Larxene said, lowering herself into a squat in front of him, arms resting loosely on her knees. "Your god is a liar."

"What?"

"He lies. And he lies freely. Eons ago, Heaven and Earth were not separate from each other. They lived side-by-side as close allies."

"I know," Sora said, feeling calmer now. Though still aching inside.

"Did you know Aravis did not start out as a god?" Larxene demanded. "He and his two sisters, Arielle and Azrielle, came to this galaxy from a dimension far, far from here. Arielle, the older, became known as the Queen of Heaven for her kindness, her benevolence, and her promise to always protect humans from Darkness. The younger, Azrielle, became known as the Queen of Earth for her just, fair rule guidance for all humanity."

Sora blinked. He had no idea his mother had a sister.

"Then Aravis, the eldest, decided he wanted a little more power," Larxene went on. "He discovered a powerful artifact called the Keyblade. When the Keyblade slew Heartless, it gathered the released energy and stored it within itself. For every bit of energy it stored, the Keyblade grew stronger and stronger. Aravis jealously guarded its power, and eventually it grew to be so great he could become a god."

Sora stared at her. Was there even any in Heaven who knew any of this?

"Aravis deified himself with the power of the Keyblade," Larxene continued, "and became the God of Light. But it was at a terrible price. Do you know what happens to people who are swallowed by the Darkness?"

"They are absorbed," Sora said hollowly, "until they grow into too great numbers to be contained. Then the Darkness spawns the Heartless."

"That's right," Larxene said. "Originally, Aravis protected all innocent souls from the Darkness. But he discovered the Darkness grew exponentially when it could absorb freely. That's why you could hear the Darkness screaming, Sora. All the innocent souls lost within its mass cry out, begging to know why their god abandoned them, why they were condemned to such a terrible fate."

Sora didn't want to hear that. He _really_ didn't want to hear it. But he remained silent, waiting for her to go on.

"Azrielle, the youngest, decided she had enough of her brother abusing the power of the Keyblade," the Dark Angel said. "She left Heaven, descending into what later became known as Hell."

"Azrielle is Maleficent," Sora whispered.

"Yes," Larxene said. "Our dark Queen took up the mantle of evil to fight against her brother in the hopes of destroying the Keyblade. She rallied all the Heartless and a few disgruntled Angels. She was successful in her quest. The Keyblade was destroyed.

"Unfortunately, the Keyblade's great energy didn't go anywhere. Without a vessel, it simply stayed where it was, untouchable. Aravis could no longer use it. Until he discovered he could channel it into an Angel."

Sora met her eyes. "The Key of Heaven," he said, distantly surprised by how dull his voice sounded.

"Yes," Larxene confirmed. "Do you know why he told Angels it had to be someone innocent and pure of heart? Because he wanted to make sure it was someone who would never question and one day challenge him. Your power as Key of Heaven is astronomical, Sora. If you so desired, you could defeat God."

Sora didn't say he had no desire to defeat God. She probably knew that.

"Of course, for obvious reasons, Aravis doesn't want that to happen," Larxene said, oblivious to Sora's turmoil. Or ignoring it. "Aravis has also allowed Angels to fall into the Darkness and be lost."

"Marlene," Sora said, lips feeling numb. "How come Marlene wasn't absorbed when I met her?"

"People with no darkness in their hearts take longer to fade into the Darkness," she replied. "The Dark has to work harder to break them down and assimilate them. Like Angels."

Sora remembered Cloud telling him a long time ago that Vincent had once fallen from Heaven. He wondered if that's why the Arch Angel's wings were almost all black.

"There's more," Larxene said quietly. "I haven't told you the worst yet, Sora."

Sora was beyond speaking. He simply nodded to tell her to continue.

"Every time a Heartless is slain by the Key of Heaven, their energy is absorbed. But the trapped soul is lost forever."

Somehow, perhaps because he'd been suspecting the worst, that didn't shock Sora. Perhaps he was beyond that point, now. That giant fist intent on wringing the life out of him was back. It bore down on him, crushing all the air from his lungs. He could hear himself gasping, but he couldn't feel the air entering his body. His vision was dimming, the world blurring and fading away. His eyes closed of their own accord, his awareness slipping away.

But that was fine, because it took the pain with it.

* * *

Hope you guys didn't get too bored with this chapter---there's a lot of information in here. Poor, poor Sora . . . (sob) 


	16. Chapter 16

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** Just a quick note to say thank you to all of you—I start dancing like a crazy monkey when I see I have new reviews. I love you all, thank you!

* * *

Vincent didn't like to dwell on what had happened in the past. It was painful, and it was the reason he was called the Avenger. No Angel could be happy knowing they'd been lied to—by their god, no less. The very god that claimed to love all, Angels and humans alike, without prejudice.

He no longer remembered how long ago it happened. Time had blurred meaninglessly since then. The truth, the ugly truth, had robbed him of his youthful passion and turned him into a vengeful seeker of justice. Justice for those who got none and deserved it.

-

_Most Angels believed passionately in their god. Believed he was a loving, benevolent god who protected mortals and Earth with a firm and gentle hand. Vincent was no different. Rising fast among the Angels, it was expected he would be an Arch Angel soon along with one of his closest friends, Cloud._

_In the lowest level of Heaven there stood a tall, beautiful white wall. It was what separated Heaven and Earth, and many young Angels loved to sit on the wall and watch Earth. Wonder what it might be like down there, where the Lifestream flowed in its never-ending cycles. Though Vincent wasn't really 'young' anymore, he still enjoyed watching. Feeling a peaceful sense of pride for all the endless eons Heaven had guarded Earth against the Darkness._

_The first time he ever saw the Darkness, it flowed through and around the Lifestream like a plague, the two never really touching for they were perfect opposites. The Darkness moved like a live thing, roiling and twisting like pure evil. Vincent found himself unable to look away, sickly fascinated by the sight. He could easily imagine it reaching out, hungrily swallowing any and all in its terrible wake._

_And just like that, it did. There was no awareness of movement, but suddenly Vincent was falling toward it, unable to catch himself. His eyes widened in horror as the Darkness reached toward him, greedily enfolding him in its burning cold embrace, pouring its bitter emptiness into him when he opened his mouth to cry out._

_The Darkness writhed around him, never still, never silent. He could hear disembodied voices, and though there were no words, the soul-deep pain was unmistakable. The wretched anger, the fervent hate. It washed over Vincent in a black flood, leaving him completely breathless and immobile._

_It felt like a long, long time he was held suspended in the Dark. He didn't know why it didn't break him down and assimilate him, he didn't know why God didn't see and rescue him. He had no answers. All he could do was feel unimaginable pain, and most of it not his own._

_Then, there was a break. Like a clearing in a particularly dense forest the Dark opened up a little, giving him sudden relief. There, looking worn and drawn, was a pair of young children. They could not have been older than ten, and they looked at once resigned and deathly afraid._

_Vincent moved slowly toward them, trying to figure out what he was seeing. He could sense no evil intent or malice in them. They were pure of heart. Why were they here, then? Why had God not rescued them?_

_When they saw him, both of them stumbled to their feet and ran to him, their identical brown eyes filling with tears. They flung themselves at him, clutching him tightly as they wept. Stunned beyond comprehension, Vincent sank to his knees and held them without a sound. _How long had they been here?

_"Are you going to save us?" the little girl gasped._

_"We haven't done anything wrong," the little boy added quickly. "We never lied to Mama and Daddy, we never took nothin' that wasn't ours."_

_Vincent felt sick to his stomach. How many? How many voices in that incoherent screaming were innocent men, women, and children like these two? How many had god failed to save? When he absolutely _promised_ he never abandoned one innocent person?_

_"Shh," he heard himself whisper. "Of course you haven't done anything wrong. I'll help you. Don't cry."_

_His words seemed to comfort them, because after awhile they stopped crying. Time became meaningless in this place. Vincent held them until the Darkness eventually claimed them, and there was nothing he could do. God had abandoned them. Had he, Vincent, been abandoned as well? Perhaps no one was looking for him._

_In the end it was Cloud himself that descended into the Darkness and pulled him out. Vincent never went into Aravis' presence again._

-

"I found out that Heartless slain by the Key of Heaven are utterly destroyed," Vincent said quietly, eyes glowing faintly. "Their souls do not rejoin the Lifestream."

Cloud, leaning forward in his seat, elbows resting on his knees and hands dangling limply between his thighs, said dully, "Is that why you killed Heartless whenever they surfaced?"

"Yes," Vincent replied. "They can't be saved once they're Heartless. But this way, at least those pitiful creatures can return to the Lifestream and find peace."

Cloud stared at the floor for a long, long time. There was no way God could _not_ know about this. That left only one question. _Why_? Why in the name of everything he held dear, was this happening? Why was God _allowing_ this to happen?

"That's why your wings are almost all black," he murmured. "You haven't turned your back on the light for the sake of those you're trying to save."

"Yes," Vincent said simply.

Raising weary eyes, Cloud gazed at the other Arch Angel. "Why didn't you tell someone?"

"No one would have listened," Vincent answered. "No one would have wanted to."

Cloud didn't want to believe that, but back then it probably would have been true. Without Cloud's other doubts _now_, he doubted he would have listened still. "I didn't know," he mumbled, feeling completely worn. "Why Sephiroth was so angry. He must have known . . ."

To this Vincent said nothing. The two of them sat in silence, both lost in their thoughts. Neither moved, either, until Tifa burst into the house.

"Sora's gone!"

-

Sephiroth idly gazed out the window of the house where his brother had stayed not that long ago. A house belonging to his human 'parents.' His gaze slid down the sill to travel across the room where Sora lay. The young Angel had not moved since Sephiroth brought him here, his eyes staring sightlessly at the wall, a vaguely horrified look on the surfaces. He responded to no external stimuli, entire body limp and unmoving.

He had no idea what was going on in the boy's mind. Sora had always been an open book to those who knew him, for he'd never guarded his emotions. Seeing him like this was faintly unsettling, unnatural and disturbing somehow. Like it was a heartless doppelganger merely imitating Sora.

"He took it pretty hard," the Dark Angel Larxene said with a sigh. "What are you going to do now?"

Sephiroth looked at her, wondering if she actually expected an answer to that.

She laughed a little, shaking her head of blonde hair. "I was just curious. And making conversation. What if he doesn't come out of this?"

Though he knew humans lost their minds, Sephiroth had never heard of an Angel doing so. He supposed there was a first for everything, and it was an awful lot of information to process.

"He will," he said confidently. There was no way the younger brother of Cloud would crumple under this. Sora would rise again. Of that he was certain. But the face he would turn toward the world, now, _that_ was a mystery.

-

Sora stared blankly ahead, unable to register what he was seeing. He could hear voices, faint as though from very, very far away. He couldn't understand the words, either because they were too faint or he couldn't focus. Both seemed plausible. Besides, what went on outside him didn't matter. What he saw behind his eyes kept him immobilized, body frozen, mind racked with pain and horror.

_"I've been waiting for the darkness to go away . . . Mama said if I was a good girl . . . God would save me . . . I'm glad you're here . . . I've been alone . . . forever . . . God will save us . . . don't go, Sora . . ."_

_"Aravis decided he wanted a little more power . . . but it was at a terrible price . . . God has allowed Angels to fall into the Darkness and be lost . . . the trapped soul is lost forever . . ."_

Marlene, I'm sorry . . . I wanted to save you . . .

Tears beaded in Sora's unblinking eyes, trickling unnoticed down his pale, bloodless cheeks.

From where he sat by the window, Sephiroth saw.

-

"What were you hoping to do, anyway?" Larxene asked. She knew better than to expect an answer from Sephiroth. So she was justifiably surprised when he gave her one.

"I wanted him to know the truth," the powerful, dark Arch Angel replied. "I will challenge Heaven, and he's the only one who can stop me." His face twisted into a grim smile. "If he's no longer inclined to do that, my victory is assured."

Well. What an answer. But what did he plan to do once that battle was won? Challenge Maleficent? Sephiroth had never made a secret of his plan to destroy everything. If the Key of Heaven decided to fight for Sephiroth, there would be no stopping him.

Unless Maleficent and Aravis once more teamed up . . . and _that_ wasn't going to happen. "Why did you ask me to tell him?" she asked presently. That, at least, was one question she may get an answer to.

"Because you have no reason to lie," Sephiroth said with a lazy shrug. "At least, _less_ reason to lie. And you have experience."

Larxene looked away, feeling bitter resentment churn inside her. Yes, she had once been trapped in the Darkness. Like Sora she'd fallen from Heaven. Unlike Sora, she'd fallen into the Darkness. And it was Axel and Saix that found and rescued her. From that day she'd abandoned Heaven, turning her back to God and the light.

"Didn't make it any easier," she said quietly, unable to help the angry bite to her tone.

For along time, Sephiroth didn't speak. Then, "Go."

She needed no second bidding.

-

Sora blinked. Finally, what he was seeing registered to the glassy surfaces of his eyes. Which burned, feeling dry and raw. He closed them for a moment and reopened them, realizing where he was. Riku's house. On Earth.

It took a monumental effort to turn his head and look around. There, sitting by the window, silhouetted in moonlight, was Sephiroth. He was watching Sora, an unreadable look in his eye. Sora felt pain inside him that he couldn't bear. Memories he didn't want. Things he'd witnessed he wished never to think of again. And questions he desperately wanted answers for.

And he really, _really_ didn't want to see Sephiroth right now. So he rolled onto his side, presenting the Arch Angel with his back. He wanted it all to go away. And, after a few minutes of simply trying to control his breathing, it did.


	17. Chapter 17

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

Cloud stood in the center of the small group of Arch Angels. Aerith, Vincent, and Tifa all faced him, expressions grim. They would already know, of course, what he wanted of them.

"God has sent Angels all over Earth to try and find Sora," he said quietly. "I don't know where he is, but I'm fairly certain Sephiroth took him."

Aerith slid her hand into Cloud's, warm and soft and reassuring. "Cloud and I will go talk with Maleficent," she said, voice equally soft. "Tifa, Vincent, we ask the two of you to search for Sora. You will have better luck finding him than Angels."

The dark-haired pair nodded, dark brown and golden-red eyes understanding. Cloud was ready to send them off when the two human children burst in, both out of breath.

"Let us help," Riku gasped, leaning forward a little.

"Please," Kairi added, putting her hand on Riku's arm.

Cloud's first instinct was to instantly turn them down. They were humans, and there was nothing they could do. But the look on both their faces was so earnest, so sincere. They genuinely wanted to help. And Cloud also remembered just a few days ago when Riku had brought him to Sora to find his little brother lying in Kairi's arms, evidence of weeping on his face but peaceful of countenance.

For some reason, these two being with Sora just felt . . . right. Like they were both meant to be with him. Sort of like how he'd always felt with not only Aerith but Sephiroth as well. Like the three of them were meant to be together. Always.

Which of course only made all this more painful.

"All right," he said. "Go with Vincent and Tifa."

-

When Sora woke, he was alone. Feeling heavy of body, mind, and spirit, he rose from the bed and walked to the window overlooking the woods beyond. This house nestled in a lovely spot, close enough to the mountains that their peaks could be seen rising above the trees. Once, Sora would have been delighted just to quietly observe everything, soak in the beauty and tranquility.

Now, his mind was . . . somewhat overburdened. Heaving a sigh that came from his toes, Sora turned away from the window and paced across the room to the door. Everything was quiet. Not bothering to even wonder where Sephiroth was, Sora walked downstairs and out the door.

It was cold outside. The chill bite of late autumn hung in the air, silently promising winter. Dressed only in a thin blue robe, Sora ignored it and stepped barefoot onto the grass. The moisture of dew across his feet failed to draw his attention. Padding silently though the green he made his way through the woods to the steep rise where he'd seen Sephiroth standing all those days ago.

What felt like forever ago. Breaking onto the peak, he sucked in a deep breath as his eyes fell on the mountains in all their morning glory. The sun, as yet wan and pale, washed them with soft light, turning the white of snow into molten gold. Some leaves still clung to their branches, flashes of red and orange in the blue and white.

Sora stared out across the view, his mind barely seeing the beauty sprawling before him. All he could really see were a pair of tired brown eyes, small hands, and defeated countenance. Where was she now? Was she already a Heartless?

_Marlene_, Sora thought dimly, tears rising unnoticed behind his lashes. He didn't notice their burn until they coursed freely down his cheeks. He didn't weep, but he couldn't stop the tears. He just stared sightlessly ahead, expression blank, tears cascading down his cheeks.

_I couldn't save you. Marlene . . ._

"What are you crying for?" came a hard voice.

Sora didn't start. For some reason, Sephiroth's words—while unexpected—didn't settle deep enough into his conscious mind for that. He turned his empty stare on the Arch Angel, barely seeing the familiar face, the long silver hair, the blue-green eyes.

He did, however, see the slightly surprised expression that settled into those eyes. Barely there, almost indiscernible. Almost. It was gone quickly. "What are you doing up here?"

Sora turned away, that question sliding over his mind like a drop of oil on a hot frying pan. His tenuous focus shifted away, the flow of tears beginning to ebb. "I just thought someone should," he said at length, voice sounding distant to his own ears.

"What?" Sephiroth inquired.

Raising his hands to chafe his arms, finally beginning to notice the chill, Sora refused to look at him. "Cry for her," he whispered.

Sephiroth said nothing to that. As far gone as he was, Sora still rather wished he could see the look on Sephiroth's face at that comment. But he couldn't find the will to turn. Eventually, though, he felt Sephiroth move closer. Neither heard nor saw it, but he felt it. The silver-haired Angel didn't touch Sora.

"She was not the only one," came the sudden statement.

For the first time in his life, Sora could not define what was in Sephiroth's voice. It either lacked anything altogether or was too jumbled to be any one thing. And for some reason, it stirred Sora from his trancelike state. Dragging his eyes away from the mountains, he let his eyelids fall shut.

"I'm going to save them," he murmured.

Like a wall of potent heat swept over him he could feel Sephiroth's instant anger. "Oh?" he said, voice liquid contempt. "Go back to God and be his shining little warrior?"

The words didn't faze Sora. "No," he said evenly, opening his eyes to look up at Sephiroth. His gaze was even and unflinching. "But they deserve to be saved. If Aravis won't, I will."

He could see his quiet statement stop Sephiroth in his tracks. Probably for one of two reasons, or both. One, he had never called God 'Aravis' before. Two, the conviction made his tone flat and cold. No one had ever heard that tone from Sora, because he'd simply never used one remotely like it.

And for the first time in Sora's life he had the pleasure—though he took no pleasure in it—of seeing Sephiroth struck speechless. His eyes widened just a tiny bit, head pulling back slightly. It was the equivalent of anyone else jerking back, eyes wide as saucers with mouth gaping open. Sephiroth and Cloud were two peas in a pod—they never showed much emotion.

"You're abandoning the light?" he finally said.

Now Sora looked across the mountains with focused eyes. "No. But neither am I renouncing the Dark."

-

Sephiroth stared at Sora. He had never heard the boy Angel use this tone before. While soft and still slightly cold, it was full of unshakable conviction. A gentle tone of unbending faith, matching the coldly glittering determination in Sora's eyes.

"Let me see your wing," he said at length. Would it be black? White? Both?

Sora didn't say anything, didn't protest or whine about the inevitable pain. He just closed his eyes and concentrated. Moments later they appeared, and for the second time in his life Sephiroth was stunned into silence.

Yes, there were two wings falling gracefully down Sora's back. But while one was the glimmering feathered white of all Angels, irrefutable proof that he walked in the light, the other was so far opposite it could not look more . . . wrong. It was not a feathered wing like Sephiroth's own black wings. Oh, it was black. Ebony, black as pitch. But he could see it was made of the Darkness, replacing the one that Sephiroth had cut off so Sora could not escape the Dark.

Was it possible to walk between both worlds? Even more startling was Sora—the Angel seemed perfectly unsurprised. He turned to Sephiroth now, his blue eyes no longer shining with innocence and gamine purity. They looked like chips of blue ice.

"I'm going to destroy the Darkness, Sephiroth," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "And then I'm going to challenge God."


	18. Chapter 18

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

* * *

In the end, it was Kairi and Riku who found Sora. Riku insisted to Vincent and Tifa that he had a feeling Sora was at his house. Kairi agreed, so the two Arch Angels gave in and went there first. Instant gratification: Sora was there. Sitting quietly in the upstairs bedroom, Kairi reeled to see the blank, pained look in his eyes when he turned them on her.

Surprise flickered over those sky blue surfaces. "Kairi, Riku . . ."

Never had Kairi felt such an intense burning anger; she wanted to wipe out whatever had caused Sora so much pain. She moved across the room slower than she would have liked, giving Sora time to send her a stay-away signal if he desired. He gave none, so she opened her arms.

He didn't rise off the sill. Instead he simply leaned into her, dropping his head onto her shoulder with a faint sigh. "I missed you," he whispered.

She held him tightly. "Are you hurt?" she murmured, kissing his temple.

"No," he replied. "Not anymore."

Suddenly not caring if there were three sets of eyes on them, she grabbed Sora's face, turning it upward to plant a warm, demanding kiss on his lips. He instantly gave in, opening his mouth to meet her, a tiny sound bubbling up from his throat that she swallowed. She didn't care if all the evil in the world appeared right now. There was not a force in this universe that could keep her apart from him anymore. Whatever it took she would protect him.

He wrenched away from the kiss, panting. "Kairi," he breathed, color rising in his cheeks, but he was obviously unaware of anything but her.

"Never again," Kairi almost growled, pressing short, hard kisses to his lips. "I'm not letting anything take you from me again, Sora."

He wrapped his arms so tightly around her waist she could scarce breathe, shaking his head even as he tried to return her kisses. "No," he whispered. "Please don't."

Then they were just holding each other, clinging tightly. It may have been a short time before Riku's hand on her shoulder prompted her to turn, then he was holding them both. She no longer saw Tifa and Vincent, but she was glad. She really didn't want to share such intense emotion with them.

After a long time, Sora shifted. "I remembered everything," he said, voice muffled in Kairi's neck. "Everything that happened the first time I fell."

Though it hadn't made any difference in the long run, Kairi was still glad to hear that. She could tell Riku was, too.

The three of them retreated to the bed, rather falling down onto its soft surface, Sora between them, limbs tangling together. For a long time they lay in silence, comforted by each others' nearness. Eventually Kairi stirred, stroking Sora's face.

"Can you tell us what happened?" she asked softly.

Sora stiffened.

"You don't have to," Riku hastened to add, squeezing Sora's hand.

But the Angel shook his head. "No, I want you to know." Taking a deep breath, he began to speak.

-

Sephiroth had no idea why Cloud and his soul mate descended into Hell, but he cut them off before they got very far. There was something . . . different about Cloud. His eyes, usually so tormented upon seeing Sephiroth, were clear. How surprising.

Unable to help himself, Sephiroth smiled. It was a tiny smile, devoid of any mirth. It was ironic to say the least that Riku, his younger brother, was linked to Sora's soul, Cloud's younger brother, along with the female soul mate. Because Sephiroth's soul was linked to Cloud's along with the female soul mate, Aerith.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud asked in a voice empty of anything except mild curiosity.

What a departure. "I should be asking that," Sephiroth mused, idly leaning on his sword.

Cloud's hand sought Aerith's of its own accord, their fingers tangling, but it was Aerith who responded.

"We came to talk to Maleficent," she said in her sweet, gentle voice.

"I gathered," Sephiroth said dryly. "Why?"

The two of them looked at each other, green eyes meeting blue. "We're looking for the truth," Cloud said at last.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "And you expect you'll get it from the Queen of Darkness?"

"We could sense her lie if she was so inclined," Aerith reminded him, a hint of a grin teasing her full lips.

Coming from her, that didn't annoy Sephiroth.

"I was counting on it," Cloud said.

That was strange, all by itself. He couldn't help asking, "What are you going to talk to her about?"

Cloud looked at Sephiroth, and there was a strange mixture of longing and peace in his eyes. "Why don't you come with us and find out?"

Well, who was he to turn down an offer like that?

-

When Sora finished talking, he looked completely drained. He lay with his head on Kairi's shoulder, Riku spooned behind him. Kairi met his eye over Sora's head, and he could see she felt the same.

"I can't believe anyone would do something so awful," she murmured, "let alone a god who's supposed to love us unconditionally."

"We'll help you fight the Dark, Sora," Riku said quietly, running his hand lightly over the scars on Sora's back. "You're not in this alone."

Though Sora's body was already limp, Kairi felt him relax even more, almost imperceptibly. She feathered kisses over his cheek and forehead. "Whatever you want to do, we'll help you," she agreed.

Sora dragged a deep breath in and sighed it out. "I want to challenge Aravis," he said quietly. "He doesn't deserve to be the God of Light. It should be someone who will do what they promise and protect the innocent from the Darkness."

Though this was all still very new to her, Kairi agreed whole-heartedly. And she could see Riku did, too. "You have the power to do that, now?" she queried.

"Yes. If not by myself, then with Sephiroth."

Kairi shivered slightly to think about him. The one who'd cut Sora's wing off. "You aren't angry with him?"

"No," Sora said quietly. "I know why he did it. I'll never stop caring for him. After all—" he smiled crookedly—"he and my brother raised me."

Riku tapped the Angel's forehead. "That explains a lot."

Giggling, Kairi lay her head on Sora's shoulder. For a long time the three of them simply lay side-by-side, as much of their bodies touching as possible. Then Riku stirred again, sitting up and looking down at them both.

-

"Umm, there's something I've been wanting to tell you two. I keep putting it off because . . . well, I'm not all that sure if it's even true. But . . . well, here goes."

That effectively captured their interest. Taking a deep breath, Riku began to tell them about the incredibly vivid dream he'd had a few nights ago in Heaven. A dream about a dark woman dressed in black. Her strange, colorless eyes. Her echoing voice.

And her promising Riku was only half human, that his father was an Angel. That ten years ago or so he had been badly hurt, and she had rescued him and blocked his memories for his protection. That soon, his memories would return, and his older half-brother would find him.

Sora reacted far more than Kairi. He sat bolt-upright on the bed, blue eyes widening in shock, lethargy apparently gone. "You're Sephiroth's brother!" he gasped.


	19. Chapter 19

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** Merry Christmas everyone, and happy holidays!

* * *

Cloud could not ignore the feeling of rightness he got walking with Sephiroth at his side again. He didn't try, because he was feeling more at peace with things lately than he had been in a long time. Ten years, approximately. Longer, even.

They came to the black-walled castle Maleficent had built in her self-styled Hell. Cloud didn't bother knocking, he just walked right in. Eerie green light filtered in from everywhere and no where—no source could be seen. To the highest tower he went, followed by his soul mated pair, instinctively knowing Maleficent would be there. Unlike the last time he'd descended into Hell, he could sense a multitude of Heartless this time.

Maleficent turned to them, looking unsurprised to see them. Indeed, she would have sensed them the moment they entered her domain. She did, however, look curious. "Back so soon, Cloud? And look who you've brought with you _this_ time. I certainly hope you haven't come to challenge me. I wouldn't stand a chance." There was a gleam in her eye, something that suggested she actually hoped they _would_ be here to fight.

"Sorry to disappoint," Cloud said a trifle dryly. "I only have questions for you."

She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "I see. What makes you think I will answer?"

Cloud took a deep breath. It was time to take a chance and hope he was doing the right thing. "Depending on your answers, I will help you defeat Aravis."

That successfully won complete and total silence. Aerith, of course, had been expecting that so she didn't look floored. Sephiroth and Maleficent, however, stared at him as though he'd sprouted a second head. A rhinoceros head.

After all, Cloud was Aravis' champion. His strongest Arch Angel.

"You cannot be serious," Maleficent said at last. Her eyes darted back and forth between his as though trying to gauge his intent.

It was Aerith who answered. "We have learned the truth, Maleficent. Aravis lies to his followers and condemns the innocent. Cloud and I believe defeating him is the right thing to do."

"The truth," Sephiroth repeated softly. "What truth is that, Cloud?"

"The truth about the Darkness and Heartless," Cloud replied, meeting Sephiroth's intense gaze. "That Angels and humans alike have been lost forever because of Aravis' treachery. For their sakes and ours as well I can't let that happen anymore."

Cloud could see Sephiroth had something to say, but the Arch Angel cast a quick glance at Maleficent and held his tongue. If this was not the place, Cloud could wait. He turned his attention back to the once Queen of Earth.

"Do you know what happened to Arielle, Sora's mother?" Cloud asked. He didn't know whether Maleficent, once known as Azrielle, would answer that or not.

Indeed, she looked like she would rather not. But instead she nodded once. "She left. When I decided to rise against my brother, Arielle promised she would not stop me. But while she believed what he was doing was wrong, she could not bring herself to fight him. It tormented her, so she left, returning to our parents."

"Why did she leave Sora here?" Cloud asked.

"She could not take him with her," Maleficent said, eyes losing focus as she gazed inward. "We came here from very far away, my brother and sister and I. Another plane, another dimension. Because Sora is the son of an Angel, he would have been killed leaving this plane."

For a time Cloud was silent. Aerith remained close at his side, her cool fingers lightly stroking the back of his hand while his mind raced. Arielle had been gentle and kind, absolutely loving and benevolent. It made sense she would not want to fight a brother she'd more than certainly loved very much. Maybe, once, Aravis had been worth loving.

"Are you really going to challenge him?" Maleficent asked after a moment, looking more curious than hopeful.

"Yes," Cloud replied, looking at Sephiroth now. "I will fight by your side, Sephiroth, but I will not let you destroy innocent people. If after our victory you decide to turn your wrath to Earth, I will stop you."

Something not quite definable ran through Sephiroth's eyes too quickly to make out. A ghost of a smile quirked up one corner of his mouth as he merely nodded, acknowledging and accepting. Cloud knew he could see the deadly seriousness in the Arch Angel's countenance.

Cloud had found his conviction.

-

"I wonder how it happened," Sora mused, sitting cross-legged on the bed. He, Riku, and Kairi all faced each other, still reeling from Riku's revelation.

Riku shook his head. "I have no memories other than the ones supposedly planted in my mind," he said with a shrug. "I'm not even sure if it's true or not."

Sora sat up straighter, walking on his knees across the bed to Riku's side. "I know how to tell. Even though you're half human, you will have wings if you're half Angel. You probably would never be able to use them—they wouldn't be strong enough. But you'll still have them, and if you do I'll be able to sense them." He placed his hands flat against Riku's shoulder blades, closing his eyes.

"What are you going to do?" Riku asked, sounding not concerned but just curious.

"Nothing, really," Sora said distractedly. "Just . . . see if they're there. You won't feel any different . . ."

After slipping into a meditative near-trance, Sora found the natural rhythms of Riku's life-energies. They were strong with youth and vitality, and Sora would have flushed with pleasure had his body been awake enough when he felt the depth of Riku's feelings for him. Unwilling to pry into Riku's thoughts and emotions, he skimmed over the surface to where Angelic energies would have been.

Sure enough, Riku had wings. Even more amazing was the fact that they were strong enough to carry Riku's weight. If he could call them out, he would be able to fly. And, delving a little deeper, Sora recognized the pattern of the flows. He'd felt them in Sephiroth too many times to count.

He really was Sephiroth's younger brother.

"Sora," Riku whispered, voice far away, "this feels . . . it's incredible . . ."

"What's happening?" Kairi asked, and her voice was distant too.

Dividing his concentration, Sora removed one hand from Riku and gripped Kairi's wrist. He slid down into her life energies while still connected to Riku. What happened next, none of them had any way of knowing.

Like pieces of a puzzle coming together all at once, like a masterpiece tapestry weaving itself to perfection, the three life energies merged and meshed, twisting and curling around each other until they were no longer three separate flows. The three of them stared at each other, each breathless and stunned, so intimately connected in that moment they could see everything about each other.

Kairi loved Sora to the deepest depths of her soul. She both wanted to protect him and share in everything with him. She only felt complete when she was with him, holding him, touching him. She trusted Riku with her life, always had and always would. She would die before hurting either of them.

Riku's fierce desire to protect them both was only overshadowed by his undying devotion to them. He was gloriously happy of their love for each other, and he would do anything to keep them together and happy.

For himself, Sora knew he would allow himself to be destroyed forever before letting any harm come to these two. They were branded deep into his soul where he would never be whole without them. He loved them so much it almost hurt, yet nothing had ever felt so magnificently wonderful, so blissfully right. It was like coming home within them, finding a place he would forever belong.

He'd never felt so complete in his life.


	20. Chapter 20

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** Welcome back over the holidays! I hope everyone had a wonderful time and ate way too much junk—I certainly did! X3

This story is wayyyyy longer than I originally anticipated . . . I'm having so much fun writing it I don't want it to end!!

**NEW WARNING:** something suspiciously like s.a.a.a.a.p . . .

* * *

Riku opened his eyes to find himself lying half on top of Sora who was nestled on Kairi's shoulder. Smiling faintly, he carefully sat up, making sure not to jar the bed enough to wake the sleeping pair. He had no words in his vocabulary to describe last night, nor anything in his experience to compare. He'd never . . . so _completely known_ someone.

In a way it was humbling to feel the depth of Kairi and Sora's emotion for each other. They loved so deeply there was not a place it ended at any point. It just went on and on, only growing stronger. And never in his life had Riku wanted to protect anything as much as he wanted to protect that love, make sure nothing challenged it or destroyed it.

Easing off the bed, he walked into the bathroom. Quickly he stripped out of his clothing and turned on the water full blast. Steam rapidly filled the small room, seeping into his pores and relaxing him—though he'd scarce needed it. He was still floating inside over the closeness he'd shared with two people he knew he never wanted to do without.

-

The sound of running water slowly drove Sora awake. His eyes drifted open as he yawned, only to find himself alone in bed. Frowning, he sat up and glanced around. The sheet was still warm, so Kairi and Riku couldn't have gotten up that long ago. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he stood up and smoothed his rumpled shirt. After last night the three of them had just collapsed onto the bed in a boneless tangle, not even bothering to undress.

As he wandered down the stairs the smell of cinnamon wafted to him from the kitchen. Kairi, looking adorable in a long pink apron, stirred something on the stove. Smiling a little at the sight of her, Sora moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

A tiny giggle escaped her. "Good morning, Sora," she murmured, turning her head to kiss him.

He immediately opened his mouth, deepening the kiss. She tasted like cinnamon, nutmeg, and . . . frosting. He pulled away, peering into her eyes. "What are you making?"

She laughed. "Cinnamon rolls. I found a recipe, and the fridge had the stuff to make them. Rather amazing."

After that they said nothing, content merely to be next to each other as she stirred her scrambled eggs and peppers. When Riku came downstairs, hair freshly damp, this was how he found them. Sora both heard and felt him approach, more felt than saw the smile as the youth wrapped his arms around the pair and hugged them.

"Good morning. Smells good, Kairi. Need any help?"

The auburn-haired girl giggled, shoving the two boys back. "From you? Not a chance. Last time I let you help, the kitchen nearly burned down."

Riku gave Sora a long-suffering look. "One little mistake and you're forever banned. For heaven's sake, I just forgot _one_ little time to watch the meat. It's not like I _meant_ to light it on fire."

Grinning, Sora opted for setting the table. Riku, after pestering Kairi for a minute or two longer, abandoned his tormenting in favor of helping Sora. Sora, who knew Tifa and Vincent would be along soon, set two extra places. As if on cue, the two Arch Angels walked into the house.

Smiling, Tifa went right to Sora and hugged him close. "How you three doin'? We figured you could use a little privacy last night. Soul-bonding is draining and simply too intimate to have any witnesses." She included Kairi and Riku in her smile.

Sora couldn't help blushing a little. "We're fine," he said, just a tiny bit shy. "Better than fine."

"Good." She kissed his forehead. "Your brother should be back from Hell soon."

Sora blinked. Pulling away, he looked into Tifa's brown, loving eyes. "Hell? Why did Cloud to go Hell?"

"He wanted to talk to Maleficent," she replied.

Sora searched her eyes, trying to find clues as to Cloud's motivation behind that. "Do you know why?"

It was Vincent who answered. "He learned the truth," the Avenger said in his perpetually soft, almost raspy voice.

Sora felt his heart jump in his chest. "The truth? What truth, Vincent?"

The look Vincent gave him bordered on amusement. "Is there more than one?" he inquired.

Sora gave him a flat look.

Subsiding, Vincent went on. "The truth about the Darkness. The Heartless. And everything we've believed all our lives."

A plethora of emotions vied for dominance inside Sora. Confusion. Disbelief. Hope. Bright, surging hope. If he did not have to face this without his brother, it might not overwhelm him after all.

"What did he say?" he asked slowly, trying not to hope _too_ much. After all, it would be difficult to believe all he'd learned without actually seeing it. There was too much.

Vincent's strange, orange-red eyes burned. "That he plans to challenge Aravis."

- - - - - - - -

Sephiroth emerged from Hell a few steps ahead of Cloud, turning to face him. "You know you'll have to fight every Angel in Heaven but those in your little band," he said in a hard voice. Trying to test the strength of Cloud's determination.

Cloud merely looked at him, his hand still holding Aerith's. He could tell the grip was a gentle one; indeed, he could feel a hint of it on his own hand. The three of them were intimately connected, after all. This close, they could feel each other's heartbeats.

"I know that," he said, voice steely soft. "It's the right thing to do, Sephiroth. If Sora and I can find a way to banish the Darkness, the others will listen."

"And if they don't?" Sephiroth insisted.

Cloud shook his head. "Then I feel sorry for them, but I will not let a charlatan continue playing the role of benevolent god. Too many innocents have been condemned at his hand."

Aerith looked at Sephiroth, too, her green eyes earnest. "Even if we fail, Sephiroth, it's the right thing to do."

That was so typically her Sephiroth smiled. It was a faint, mirthless smile. "And if it's not? If it's better just to let them continue living their secure little lives, ignorant and happy?"

"The Angels safe in Heaven are not our primary concern," Aerith replied. "The innocent who have fallen into the Dark and been abandoned by God are."

Well, that was a good point. Still, that wasn't the reason Sephiroth wanted for Cloud to turn his back on Aravis. For a moment he considered challenging his soul-bonded right there.

No sooner had that thought flickered through his mind than Aerith's posture changed subtly. Something quietly dangerous entered her eyes, her hand tightening imperceptibly on Cloud's, taking a minute step forward. _If you're going to challenge him_, her eyes clearly said, _you won't win this time._

She was ready, willing, and prepared to fight alongside her soul mate. That was a huge departure for her. Aerith had always refused to fight in any capacity. Which was a tremendous shame, because she and Cloud could not be defeated when together. So she was deadly serious about this.

Smiling ruefully, Sephiroth backed down. Not this time, then. "You haven't really changed, Cloud," he said, not bothering to mask his disappointment. "I took your brother to that house on Earth where the human children were staying with him. He's safe there. You should know, he's . . . changed."

Cloud's wondrous blue eyes met his. "I haven't forgiven you for what you did to him," he said in a low voice.

Now Sephiroth's smile was the slightest bit wistful. "I know." Spreading his ebony wings he took to the skies.

- - - - - - - -

The three of them went walking after breakfast. Tifa and Vincent remained behind in case Cloud and Aerith returned, making Sora promise to call if anything happened. Riku and Kairi walked into the bright, clear morning with him, looking as content as he felt. In fact, he could feel their contentment, too. Not as clear as his own, perhaps, but still there.

Through the dew-kissed green they drifted, none speaking for words no longer seemed necessary. It gave Sora the chance to try and sort through his thoughts, still unsure as to what he wanted to do. Or what he _could_ do. As the Key of Heaven he still knew little of his powers. He hadn't been the Key for long, and he was still very young.

Kairi's hand found his, squeezing gently as though she could feel his inner turmoil and was offering comfort. Actually, she probably could feel it. A heartbeat later Riku took his other hand, offering his comfort. Sora found himself smiling despite the circumstances. He would have thanked them, but that too was unnecessary.

Suddenly, the temperature in the air dropped as though they'd been plunged into the Antarctic. Sora gasped, leaning forward as black chill pierced his heart. _Oh god_, he thought, trying frantically to breathe. _That_ cold was unmistakable. The Darkness. Here. Close. He could literally _feel_ the intense hatred and pain crawling over his skin like oily poison.

"Kairi, Riku," he managed, ". . . _run_ . . ."

And there it was. The air itself tore apart, and a hole appeared in the landscape before them. A hole of twisted, perverted reality, spilling its hideous black malice into the world. Kairi and Riku stared at it in horror, caught off guard by the sight of a blackness so complete it could be tasted.

"What _is_ that?" Kairi hissed, backing away, pulling Sora with her.

In fact, Riku was backing away as well, looking at once nervous and protective.

_Please, not here,_ Sora thought wildly, heart hammering madly in his chest. He sent as hard and far as he could, _Tifa, Vincent, the Darkness is here!_

Like lightning the roiling black mass struck. Dark writhed in the air toward them, faster than a striking snake, more malicious than the most warped evil a world could spawn. Full of an entire world's evil, pain, and anger. Sora involuntarily cried out, wings immediately extending to their full length. Would it never leave him be?

Everything slowed to a crawl. Time lagged until every moment stretched to infinity. The Darkness's awful cold reached Sora, piercing through him, the tendrils grasping further, beyond him . . .

It took him forever to realize the Darkness was lashing out with an actual intent. It was here for a reason. And Sora was not it. His eyes widened in slow-motion as his brain finally caught up. The tendrils of seething Dark were reaching _past_ him. They weren't here for _him_ at all.

It tried to hold him down, restrain him as he fought its cloying embrace. An involuntary growl tore from his throat as he struggled to turn, to free himself. He managed in time to see those hateful tendrils wrap around Kairi's arms, waist, and legs. Her beautiful eyes widened as she felt its filthy, terrible touch for the first time, mouth opening in a soundless gasp as it took her into itself, coiling around her and collapsing in on itself.

It vanished in a flash of endless black, leaving its bitter chill in the air behind it. Sora, on hands and knees, panting, stared at the space it had so recently vacated. He was dimly aware of Riku beside him. Kairi. It had taken Kairi.


	21. Chapter 21

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** I kind of wanted to be horrible and torment you, my lovely readers, but fortunately I have no self control (plus, I wanted to see what was going to happen as much as you guys want to!).

* * *

Cloud had never seen his brother so . . . well, like he was right now. It was like the young Angel had grown up overnight. He no longer looked so young, innocent, and . . . well, _young_. He certainly didn't look jaded or bitter, but there was just something intrinsically different about him. Cloud couldn't even really define it, but it was there. 

And right now, Sora was a mixture of frightened and _angry_. In fact, Cloud had never seen Sora angry, either. The boy stalked back and forth, one hand tightly clenching the key pendant around his neck, the other stiff at his side.

"It's like it knew we were there," he said in a strange, toneless voice. "It went right for her, Cloud. It completely ignored me. I've never seen the Darkness behave like that."

Aerith and Tifa glanced at each other, brown eyes and green coming to an instant understanding. They moved to flank Sora, stopping his pacing and each wrapping an arm around him. The young Angel stiffened at the initial contact, but he quickly melted. Cloud gazed at him for a time, trying to come up with some explanation for the Darkness's bizarre actions.

"I've never known it to actively seek a mortal," he said presently. "Only Angels. And certainly not a mortal with no darkness in her heart."

Sora gave his brother a look that spoke eloquently of his disapproval for that answer. Under normal circumstances it might have made Cloud grin—his little brother for the first time showing some teenage petulance. Right now it just twisted his heart. He truly wished he could give Sora a better answer.

"I could ask Aravis," Aerith suggested.

Everyone in the room looked at her.

"We could not trust that he'd answer truthfully," Cloud said eventually. "He's lied about everything else."

"Aravis seldom outright lies to me," Aerith said, shaking her head. "He knows I can sense it."

Sora fixed his brother with a look that clearly said, _Do something, Cloud. Something that makes sense, something that will work._

This time, Cloud couldn't help it. He chuckled a little. "I doubt Aravis would be forthcoming, my love. We'll simply descend into the Darkness and find her. Tifa, you wait here with Sora—"

"I'll go with you," Sora cut him off.

Suppressing a sigh, Cloud looked at him. "You can't come with us. You can't fly."

Sora blinked as though just remembering something terribly important. "Actually," he said softly, "I can." And he extended his wings.

Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa all stared at the Dark wing flowing down Sora's back in direct opposition to the white one. They could not look more different, could not feel more wrong. That black wing was literally made of the Darkness. Which could only mean one thing. While Sora had not turned his back on the light, he had embraced the Dark.

Cloud hadn't even known that was possible until this moment. "Can you fly with that?" he asked. It was the only safe thing he could think of.

"Yes," Sora replied, raising both wings. The Dark one imitated the white one, shaped exactly like it. Only, there were no feathers, no contours, no . . . anything. Just visible Darkness.

It was extremely unsettling.

Cloud just nodded, taking his brother's word for it. "Then you can come, too."

- - - - - - - -

Sephiroth wandered the twisted paths of the Darkness, searching for the human girl. He always watched the Darkness now, waited to see what it would do. Trying to map its behavior would make it easier to destroy when the time came. He had never seen it actively pursue a mortal child.

Which meant the girl now soul mated to Sora was not a normal mortal child. It was the only explanation. He was tempted to return to Hell and talk to Maleficent, but why should she know? Although there were probably none with her extensive knowledge of the Darkness, she couldn't exactly read its thoughts. The Darkness had no thoughts to read. Sephiroth knew enough to know it wasn't a sentient energy force.

Deeper and deeper he descended into the roiling black, blocking out the hate and pain as it screamed and bled around him. Eventually he came to that place where the Darkness parted, held itself open as it worked to absorb its latest victim. There, suspended in the tangible black, was Kairi.

Something was wrong. Sephiroth could feel it the instant he stepped into that place. Energy seethed and boiled around him, but not an energy he was familiar with. At least, not an energy he'd ever felt in the Darkness. It was not an energy that should be here at all, an energy the exact opposite of the twisted evil of the Dark.

_This_ was the energy of the Lifestream itself. But _why_ would those energies have penetrated the Dark? The Lifestream and the Darkness could not merge, so the Darkness always fled the Lifestream. As he stepped closer, he reached out a hand to touch one of the flows. Instantly, everything went away.

-

_She watches with a curious intent, her eyes glowing in the dark as she moves. She has never before felt such a tumultuous time. The potential for change always hangs in the air now, and she has always been one to embrace change._

_She has watched him for a long time now. Ever since the three powerful beings came into her world she has watched, curious as to what change they might bring about. They have sparked many, some for the worse, some for the better. But change is the precursor to growth, and she is always trying to learn and grow._

_His birth brought about much change. His birth tipped the scales. She still does not know in which direction. But this momentous occasion has had her watching closer than ever, curiosity turning into the desire to affect change herself for once._

_So for the first time in her long, long existence, she steps into the flows of her energies and takes a new form. A mortal form. She takes no memories with her, for what would be the fun in that? She wants to learn and grow as a mortal would, taking that short life feeling with her, the sense of urgency that will compel her to get as much as she can from a single life._

_The Lifestream flows through her, surging powerfully, deeply _alive_. She loves to feel its enormous capacity, reminding all of the great beauty in life. For the first time since she created this world, so long ago, the spirit of the Earth dons a mortal form and steps out of the Lifestream._

-

Sephiroth's eyes snapped open, all the breath shocked from his lungs, the image of the Lifestream flowing through an incorporeal form to create a human body sharp in his mind. He couldn't seem to process what he'd just seen.

_Kairi was the essence of the Lifestream!_

_

* * *

_

BUAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

Sorry. God I love this story.

God I love all of you who love me.

I LOVE EVERYTHING!!!

Except politics.

Sephiroth: You're an extremely random individual. I'm going to kill you.

Jewel: . . . okaaaayyyy . . . (he's scary . . .)


	22. Interlude II

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** (GASP) Last chapter was intense! I had no idea any of that was going to happen.

* * *

Eons ago, when time was still young, she went with the flows of the Lifestream, content to drift in the energies as they moved through the galaxy. But as time went on, her immortal life grew to a monotony that she wished to change. So it was that Earth was born.

Earth was tied strongly to her energies, so she loved it fiercely. Nothing happened on Earth that she did not know about, and she watched it with a kind of maternal pride. Humans were so fragile and mortal that they lived life with all the energy they could muster. Their fierce determination, their intense will to survive, their great capacity to learn, grow, and love all fascinated her. As an immortal being who would neither age nor die, she was never in any great hurry.

Things changed when three powerful beings not of this world came to Earth. They were not like her. They could directly affect the world they lived in. With them came many changes, most of which were huge. With them came the twisted evil that humans began to call Darkness. She did not like the Darkness, but she did not fear it. It could not affect her. It drastically affected humans, though, and when they died after being lost in the Darkness, they were eager to return to her embrace, slipping into the Lifestream where most of them rested for a long, long time before venturing out again.

It bothered her at first that some souls never returned to the Lifestream. It took her awhile to get used to it, for it felt like a part of her was missing. She didn't know where they went, only that they were lost. She couldn't change it, so eventually she accepted it.

When he was born, everything shifted. Like a deep breath before a storm everything seemed to quiver, waiting for something. Even she waited, ever curious to see what would happen, what changes this would inspire.

Eventually it was too much to sit and watch. For the first time in her very long life, she wished to directly affect change herself, for once. So she took a mortal form, bringing no memories with her, taking with her only the desire for something that would someday make a difference.

Meeting him was incredible. Sora was incredible. She wanted things she had never wanted when with him. She had never anticipated soul mating with him. The depth of this new emotion stole her breath away. It was incredible, simply amazing.

But she had forgotten something. The Darkness was always drawn to power, and even though mortal, her soul was a radiant beacon of the endless power of the Lifestream. She'd been careless, though her mortal form had no reason to overly fear the Dark. Now it had finally found and trapped her, drawing her into itself with the desire to absorb her.

Such was not possible. The Darkness was not powerful enough to absorb her. Not without a _lot_ of help. It could, however, hold onto her with a tenacity that rivaled almost everything in her experience. For the first time in her memory, she felt _anger_. A terrible, burning anger flamed inside her. And for the first time she actually _desired_ to destroy the Darkness. How dare it? How _dare_ it try to make HER part of itself? Her, the mother of Earth?

_"I will help you, Spirit of the Earth,"_ came a voice she recognized.

The dark Angel Sephiroth who had long been Key of Heaven. She opened her eyes, surprised to see him in the Darkness. _[What are you doing here?_ she asked in her voice that could not be heard and yet echoed in the bounds of the mind.

_"I was looking for you,"_ he replied, raising an eyebrow. His head canted ever so slightly to the side. _"You know who you are, don't you?"_

_[Of course I do_ she said, her anger and agitation reverberating across the Lifestream flows around her.

_"Did you take your memories with you as a mortal child?"_ he inquired.

_[Of course not_ she snapped, thrashing in the restraining hold. _[My memories returned the instant the Lifestream came looking for me and touched me. Can you help me or not?_

He smiled. _"Yes."_ He reached out and took her hand.

-

Kairi opened her eyes to find herself held in the arms of a man with flowing silver hair. He reminded her of Riku. This had to be Sephiroth, Riku's older half-brother Angel. "What . . ." she tried. Her throat was painfully dry. "What am I doing here? Where are we?"

Surprise flickered through his eyes she wondered if it had been there at all. "The Darkness took you," he replied. "Do you not remember?"

She shook her head, then paused. "Wait. Yes, I do. I was with Sora . . . did you rescue me?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, eyes boring into hers.

"Why?" she whispered in a failing voice.

Something she could not define flickered over his face. He smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "Because it wouldn't do if Sora's soul mate was destroyed, now, would it?"

Kairi didn't know what he meant by that. Her eyes closed of their own volition as blackness overtook her.


	23. Chapter 23

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** I love you all. I just love you. I sit here a lot and think about how much I love you. All of you. Kyaa! To my new readers: I randomly freak out a lot, so just ignore me.

* * *

Sephiroth led Cloud right to the girl.

"Why did you save her?" Cloud demanded, unable to figure out what went through the powerful Arch Angel's mind.

Sephiroth merely gave him an inscrutable smile. "Aside from being Sora's soul mate," he said, sounding vaguely amused, "she is . . . special. You should take her back to Heaven, Cloud. The Darkness will not stop pursuing her until she awakens."

Which of course made no sense. Cloud carefully collected the sleeping girl in his arms and flew back to the house. She woke just as he landed on the porch.

"I can walk," she said softly, and he put her down.

Inside, his little brother nearly tackled her. Kairi held him tightly, and though she did not cry, Cloud didn't like the way her face looked so . . . blank. Pale and drawn as though the horrors she'd seen she could not handle. When Riku drew them both upstairs, Cloud faced his soul mate and friends.

"Sephiroth saved her," he said without preamble.

That announcement was met with stunned silence.

"Why?" Tifa finally asked.

Cloud shook his head. "All he would tell me is she's special. He also found out she's Sora's soul mate."

Aerith's eyes widened a little. "I had suspected, but it still surprises me to hear. They will not have an easy time of it."

For the moment, Cloud put that out of his mind. "Sephiroth said she would 'awaken.' I don't know what he meant."

Nodding thoughtfully, Aerith's green eyes tracked toward the windows. "There is a way to find out."

It took Cloud a second to realize what she meant. Blinking, he caught her gaze. "Are you sure you want to try something like that? It can be dangerous."

"I know," she said, "and it was just an idea. Sephiroth wouldn't have saved her without reason."

That was true, Cloud couldn't ignore that. _Sometimes I really wish the bond between us allowed me to read your mind, Sephiroth_, he thought with a tiny frown. He opened his mouth to give Aerith an answer when a blinding flash of light filled the room. All four Arch Angels stepped back, shielding their eyes. When the light faded, four Archons stood there, winged messengers of Heaven.

"Arch Angels Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and Vincent," said the only female in a ringing voice, "you are charged with high treason against Aravis, benevolent God of Light and ruler of the Heavens. For scheming with the evil Maleficent, Queen of Darkness, and Sephiroth, traitor of the Heavens, and for concealing Sora, Key of Heaven. You are summoned to the Throne of Heaven for your punishment. Come; we will escort you."

For a moment, Cloud was sure he'd stepped into a bizarre parody of reality. Then fire blazed in his eyes. Archons were not anywhere near powerful enough to bring four Arch Angels anywhere without cooperation. And he was not about to be judged by a liar and the ultimate traitor.

He took Aerith's hand. "We are scheming with no one," he said levelly, "and we certainly are not concealing Sora. You may return to Heaven, messengers, and tell _God_ we will be judged not by him nor anyone. We will go with you _no where_."

All four Archons took a step back at his half-step forward. There could be no mistaking the sudden fear that entered their eyes, for they were not a match for Cloud by himself let alone surrounded by three more of Heaven's most powerful Arch Angels.

"You cannot be convinced to come peacefully?" the female said in a somewhat shaky voice.

"No," Cloud ground out, "for we are not the ones guilty of treason."

"Then reveal Sora to us," the Archon insisted. "Please insist not on tainting the mind of an innocent."

"Sora's mind was not tainted by me," Cloud growled, "but by the one who ultimately betrayed him. Leave us, Archons, or I will make you leave." His sword shimmered to existence in his hand.

That was all the threat required to make the Archons scurry back. "A-all right," the Archon female said, licking her lips, "we will go. But one way or another, you will be punished by God!"

Cloud let them go, feeling rage burn in his breast. Blind, ignorant fools! He knew even if he told them the truth they would close their eyes and deny it with all their strength. Right up until the Darkness itself absorbed them and God abandoned them they would deny it.

"Maybe Sephiroth is right," he hissed low in his throat. "Maybe they deserve to be destroyed."

The look Aerith gave him was full of alarm. "It is no fault of theirs," she said quietly, running her cool fingers up his arm. "Cloud, they have been deceived for so long we cannot blame them. They have been taught to believe a lie."

That wasn't much of an excuse. After all, Sephiroth still had enough of a mind to think for himself and question. Cloud himself had questioned the blind devotion of the Angels and Archons. So had Aerith, Tifa, and Vincent.

"I know," was all he said.

- - - - - - -

"Are you okay?" Sora asked for the hundredth time.

Kairi let out a tiny, helpless giggle. "Yes, more so than the last time you asked me about forty seconds ago."

Sora crushed her so close she could barely breathe. In fact it almost hurt, he held her so tight. She voiced no protest. It made her feel blessedly alive, reminded her that the pressure holding her now was real, tangible. Not the inky, endless cold of the Darkness. She remembered very little of being trapped, only the feeling of despair all around her, the audible pain and hate, and the inability to move at all.

Riku held them both, always the strength that grounded them. She didn't think she could live without either of them. Sora, the brilliant light gleaming in her heart, and Riku, her pillar of comfort and strength, the powerful shield that protected her and Sora.

"I still can't believe it was Sephiroth that saved you," Riku said quietly.

Blinking, Kairi's gaze unfocused. Yes, she could hardly believe it herself. Sephiroth, the one who had cut Sora's wing off. The one who had pulled him from Heaven and trapped him in the Darkness. The one who had hurt him time and time again. It made no sense. But . . .

"He can't be as bad as we think," she said slowly. "His methods have been cruel, brutal even. But . . . still, he saved me when he could just as easily have let the Darkness take me."

"I wish I knew what he was thinking," Sora said quietly, squeezing Kairi even tighter, "but I'm glad he decided to do that."

Kairi was just about ready to tell Sora she couldn't breathe when a knock gave them a split-second warning that someone was coming. Cloud and Aerith walked in—well, Aerith walked. Cloud stalked like a furious tiger, lips twisted slightly into a snarl. The anger roiling in his eyes permeated from him like a wave of white heat, and Kairi rethought her earlier notion to tell Sora to loosen his hold.

"Are you all right, Kairi?" he asked in a tightly controlled voice.

She sincerely hoped he was not angry with her. "Yes," she said meekly.

"Then we must leave. Aravis sent Archons to tell me that I, Aerith, Tifa, and Vincent are now accused of treason and will be punished. They want you to return to Heaven, Sora—"

"I will not," Sora said at once, releasing Kairi in favor of sitting up and sending his brother and equally fierce glare.

"—and I told them no such thing would happen. Aravis will not send Archons the next time; we cannot stay here."

For some reason, the thought of God accusing the four Arch Angels of treason seemed so wrong Kairi could not fit the notion inside her head. Since when was seeking the truth wrong? Of course, if the truth endangered his place as God . . . And it absurdly pleased her that Cloud was including her and Riku.

"Aravis has no reason for wanting you two," Cloud said as though reading her mind, his gaze encompassing both Riku and Kairi. "Though you are Sephiroth's brother, Riku, I will return you to the university if you wish. You really have no place in this."

"I disagree," Kairi said abruptly, sitting up straighter and taking Sora's hand. "Sephiroth told me I am Sora's soul mate. I don't know the significance of that yet, but would you deny Aerith being by your side in these times of turmoil, Cloud?"

Cloud's incredibly blue eyes locked with Aerith's green. She could both see and feel the depth of the love that passed between them.

"No," the Arch Angel said at length. "I would not. Very well. I will speak of it no longer."

"Thank you," she murmured right on top of Riku's,

"We appreciate it."

He nodded once. "We know a safe place to go for now. Kairi, when we get there Aerith and Tifa need to talk to you."

"About why Sephiroth saved me?" she asked quietly.

The two Arch Angels looked at her for a long moment.

"Yes," Aerith said presently. "It may not seem important to you, Kairi, but Sephiroth never does anything without reason. If you're in danger, we want to know."

Kairi could tell she meant that. A tiny flash of heat suffused her cheeks in pleasure that they really did care about her. She nodded once to show she appreciated it, then the pair of them left, presumably to make preparations.

Sora went back to hugging the life out of Kairi again.


	24. Chapter 24

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** Sorry, no note today. Wait, maybe you're thinking, "YAYY!! Jewel's not going to flap her can off today!!"

In that case, I will stop blathering on in another totally USELESS author's note.

**Sephiroth:** I'm the REAL mastermind behind this story, anyway.

**Jewel:** . . . He scares me.

* * *

The place Cloud took them was not even really a place. It looked like an endless open field, but things on the field changed suddenly and without warning if she did not concentrate on what she saw. Only two things didn't change. First, the sun hovered low on the horizon and did not move. Second, it always stayed a field. The flowers changed, the season could change, and even the animals on the field.

Aerith and Tifa each took one of Kairi's hands and led her into a cozy-looking, one-roomed cottage that appeared out of nowhere. She looked around, finding the immaculate décor charming.

"What is this place?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

"A wrinkle in the fabric of time, actually," Aerith said most informatively. "This place doesn't really exist in the traditional sense of the word, which is why it changes suddenly when you stop concentrating on what you're seeing."

Kairi giggled a little. "Which tells me nothing."

The Arch Angels both smiled. "Why don't you sit?" Aerith said, gesturing to a chair. "Tifa and I will begin. All we're going to do is open your subconscious mind. There may be clues to Sephiroth's actions there, and it won't hurt you at all. In fact, you probably won't feel a thing."

Nodding, nervous but willing to trust them, Kairi sat and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

The lovely pair took up positions on either side of her chair, each laying a hand on one of her shoulders. "Just relax," they murmured.

Closing her eyes, Kairi obeyed. They were wrong—she did feel something. But it was far from alarming or unpleasant, just a gentle, feather-light brush across her senses. Somehow she could tell it was them, and she could feel two distinct presences. It was extremely . . . odd.

"When Sephiroth saved you, do you remember him saying anything?" That was Tifa's voice.

"No . . . well, just that I was Sora's soul mate, and that I was special."

"Special?" That was Aerith's voice. "Did he say how?"

"No . . ." She was feeling very sleepy, for some reason. The gentle pressure on her mind was so soothing . . .

"Tifa, can you feel that . . . ?" Sounding very far away now.

Suddenly, Kairi sat up very straight, her eyes opening. She didn't feel _alarmed_, quite, but definitely startled. "Stop," she said quietly, her tone making it a plea rather than demand.

They stopped at once, green and brown eyes both filled with concern. "Are you all right?" Aerith asked, reaching out and lightly touching her face.

Kairi rose, a faint smile gracing her face. This mortal name of hers she'd had a very short time, but she'd become quite attached to it. "Yes, Aerith," she murmured. "I am all right, but there is something I should tell you. I've had the time to grow fond of this mortal life, but I suppose it's time to stop postponing the inevitable."

- - - - - - - -

_What are you going to do now? What is it you wish to accomplish? What is your goal? What is it you want? What are you going to do now?_

There was a rift forming. Sephiroth could feel it. The hatred of the Darkness was too strong for Heaven to hold back. The gap between them was growing wider, and the tide was becoming too strong to restrain any longer. Soon its powerful longing to destroy would overcome Heaven's ability to stem the flow. And when that happened, Earth would once more be enveloped in a terrible war.

Almost two-hundred years ago, the same had happened. The Darkness had spilled its Heartless into Earth. Fifty-two percent of humanity had been wiped out in the ensuing chaos. Wars, disease, and plagues had run rampant through the planet for a generation before Sephiroth, Cloud, and the Angels got it under control.

This time, it would be worse. Sephiroth now knew Sora would not kill for Aravis. He wasn't sure if the boy could challenge the Darkness directly and win. Although, with the spirit of the Earth on his side, perhaps it was possible after all . . .

He wondered if she would regain her memories any time soon. He had no doubt in his mind that Cloud would be curious to know why Sephiroth had bothered to save Kairi, a supposed mortal human child. He would do everything in his considerable power to find out. He also knew Cloud and Aerith could spark the girl's memories. What would she do then?

_This is a damaged world. It cannot heal. I will destroy everything so that girl can start everything anew._

He smiled. 'Girl' was not an appropriate term. She was as old as time itself. Kairi's life must seem shorter than an eye-blink to the immortal spirit of Earth. She would be upset about Sora's death, but she could take him into herself, sheltering and loving him until he was born into a new body. One that would not have to suffer through times like these, suffer betrayal and lies, deceit and Darkness. He deserved better.

_I'm going to destroy it all. I wonder if you will be there, Cloud, with me at the end of all things?_

- - - - - - - -

She waited patiently while the four Arch Angels worked through everything she'd just told them. Cloud's incredibly blue eyes watched her. Even as a human with only human memories she'd come to respect the powerful Angel, and even more so now that she fully understood exactly how powerful he was.

"May we still call you Kairi?" Aerith asked presently.

Nodding slightly, Kairi smiled. "Yes. That is the only name I've ever had, and I've . . . grown fond of it."

"You can tell us now what the Darkness wanted," Cloud hazarded.

Her smile broadened. Always to the point. "Yes. The Darkness is not exactly _sentient_, but it has a _strong_ will to survive. And the stronger the Darkness gets, the stronger its desire. When Aravis began allowing the innocent to fall victim to the Darkness, its rage and hunger for destruction increased dramatically. Their pain and sense of abandonment fed the Darkness. They wished to destroy all they touched, and it is a vicious cycle for now the Darkness wishes that, too. When it sensed my power after I soul mated with Sora, it actively sought me out. It is not strong enough to absorb me, but it was certainly strong enough to trap me. I could not escape. Were it not for Sephiroth, I would probably still be trapped."

"Did you leave your memories behind on purpose?" Aerith asked, green eyes curious.

"Yes," Kairi said, nodding. She dimpled. "I did not wish to cheat. I wanted to experience a mortal life as only a mortal can."

"Why?" Cloud asked as though he could fathom nothing more bizarre.

She understood. Angels may be immortal in a sense, but they could die. She could not. "I have long watched this world change, constantly shifting toward one balance or another. When Sora was born, I wished to affect change myself, for once instead of merely observing. He drastically shifted the balance simply by being born. I did not anticipate falling in love with him and soul mating. I would not change it. I . . . have never felt this way. I covet this change, and I always will."

Aerith smiled softly. "Once your soul has chosen its eternal mate, there is no going back," she said. "I would not wish to, no matter what happened." Her hand found Cloud's.

Kairi smiled, then sobered again. "I believe I know the Darkness' ultimate goal. If it can trap me and absorb someone truly powerful—namely Sora—it would have the strength to make me part of itself too. The essence of the Lifestream itself would indelibly change, becoming one with the Darkness. The twisted perversion that would be born would have the power to create Heartless at will—and inevitably destroy not only Earth but Heaven as well. And anything beyond."

All four of them paled and exchanged looks. Finally, Cloud spoke.

"Does that mortal form you've taken have any of your power as the spirit of the Earth?"

Kairi shook her head. "No. I have not the power to destroy, only to create. I am not a warrior like you, Cloud." She grinned faintly.

Cloud nodded. "I understand. Then we will protect you as well as Sora. I've believed he would be the hope of this world for a long time. Now—" here he paused, and a real smile graced his beautiful face—"I know it for sure."

Kairi mimicked the expression. "I have not changed much from the Kairi you know," she said after a pause. "I am still her. More her, really, than anything else. Her memories are the ones most precious to me, because she lived with all her heart. I had not truly lived until her, merely existed as I watched the ebb and flow of time itself."

Aerith came forward and lightly embraced her. "I'm glad you found Sora, Kairi. And I hope you and he are never separated."

"Thank you," Kairi murmured.

She hoped so, too. Because though many of these emotions, love included, were new to her, there was one more thing her mortal manifestation had taught her. Something she'd never had reason to feel before now. And that was fear.


	25. Interlude III

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** Wow, I think that's the longest I've left this story. Sorry it's been so long, my grandmother went to the hospital (that was scary) and my sister got pretty sick. I got sick myself XP but it's all better now! So! Here we go!

* * *

It was strange. Even though everything had changed, it still felt the same. Even though Sora was not really a human with amnesia, and Riku and Kairi were not really human students looking to finish college, it still felt the same. Even though Sora was the Key of Heaven, Riku was half Angel, and Kairi was . . .

It still felt the same.

"So you have both sets of memories in your head now," Riku said presently.

Seldom apart these days, Riku sat with his back against an obliging tree. Sora lay with his head on Riku's lap, and Kairi lay on Riku's legs with her head on Sora's chest. The girl with lovely red-brown eyes nodded, heaving a little sigh.

"Yes. It's almost like being two people at once, but not. I mean . . . it's hard to describe. I'm clearly _me_, Kairi. I have all my memories, experiences, and feelings as Kairi. But I'm also clearly _me_, the point at which the Lifestream began. It courses through me, an integral part of me. I guess I haven't changed all that much, to tell you the truth. Being mortal has made me more _Kairi_ than anything else. This very short mortal life has been the most precious expanse of time I've ever experienced."

"Wow," Riku said dryly, tapping her forehead. "Always knew you were nuts, girl, but I had no idea _how_ bad it was."

Giggling, she slapped his hand away. "Shut up."

"You still sound the same," Sora mused. "Do you feel smarter now?"

"Actually, the only difference is now I feel really _old_," she confided.

Riku snorted. "Damn. In fifty years when you're this bent, rickety thing you'll be just terrible."

"Shut up," she said again, though without any real conviction.

"I wonder if the Darkness can find this place," Sora said, sounding only remotely curious.

"No," Kairi said at once. "This place is a . . . well, it's a gap in the fabric of reality. It doesn't really exist at all. Think of life as we know it as a tapestry with many layers. This place we're in right now is hidden between those layers. Time doesn't pass here. When we return to our plane, it will be exactly at the same moment we left."

"Oh," Riku said. "That makes a lot more sense than what Cloud said. Geez. The man is like a frickin' clam for explanations."

Sora smiled softly. "And Vincent's worse. I wonder how they found this place?"

"That, I can't answer," Kairi said, grinning, planting a light kiss in the hollow of Sora's throat. "There is something I should tell you, though. In your fight against Aravis and the Darkness, I won't be able to assist. I have enormous potential to create, but that is where my power ends. I am not a warrior, not by any stretch. On the other hand, I can lend you endless energy in _your_ fight. To both of you."

"That really makes me feel great, Kairi," Riku said, quite chipper. "But I would like to know exactly _how_ we're going to fight the Darkness. Any ideas, Sora?"

Sora closed his eyes, looking tired. "No. But I know someone who does. Two someones, actually. And both of them will be more than willing to help."

-

A rift was forming. In the fabric of life, the threads were beginning to unravel, rotting away from the places the Darkness touched. Its evil spread, discoloring the threads, weakening the tapestry. The Darkness, sensing eminent success, pushed harder, pressing its advantage. And the fabric gave way, allowing the Heartless to spill into Earth.

Their numbers were many. There had not been this many since the war in Heaven and Earth eons ago. Aravis sent many of his Angels on a desperate search for the Key of Heaven, and the remainder went to battle the Heartless.

But without Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and Vincent, the battle felt hopeless. The Angels, angry and hurt, could not fathom a reason for Cloud's betrayal. Sephiroth had been bad enough, but Cloud? They agreed amongst themselves that if any of the four were found, they would challenge them and bring them before God for punishment at all costs.

And Sora asked his brother to find Sephiroth before he descended into Hell for the first time in his life, ready to ask the Queen of Darkness for help in his quest to vanquish the Darkness and Aravis once and for all.


	26. Chapter 26

**Genre:** AU, fantasy

**Pairings:** Sora+Kairi

**Warnings:** Memory loss, peril, action violence

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**A/N:** Umm . . . can't think of nothin' to say. Sorry.

**Sephiroth:** That's fine, you twit. You don't need to give your poor readers a play-by-play.

**Jewel:** . . . and the Darkness grabbed Sephiroth's leg and gnawed if off at the knee . . .

**Sephiroth: **(sweatdrops)

**Jewel: **BUAHAHAHAHHAHAAAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

Eventually, the rift went dormant, the Heartless pausing in their endless flow into Earth. Sora wasn't naïve enough to believe the Darkness had spewed all its Heartless, but he was grateful for the reprieve. He found it with ease; of all places on Earth, it was the only one that felt like a hive of festering evil. 

"I had never seen the Darkness before," Kairi murmured, her red-brown eyes gazing into the rift with fascination and horror.

Riku and Kairi flanked Sora, and the young Key of Heaven stood with his wings flowing down his back, one gleaming white, the other dead black. Riku's silvery wings were extended, as well, and a faint aura of blue-green light surrounded Kairi. Sora only had a very vague idea of how to seal the rift, but Maleficent had assured him it wouldn't take much in the way of skill.

It was still strange to think of her as his aunt. It was strange to think of her at all. But the Queen of Darkness—or the Queen of Hell—wasn't anything like he'd been led to believe. She didn't strike him as pure evil. She struck him as a scheming, clever, cunning woman with an agenda, but not necessarily _evil_. Definitely embittered and vindictive, but those words were not synonymous with evil.

And Maleficent had said something to him before he left Hell, something that had forever changed how he viewed her.

"You look so much like Arielle," she had murmured, reaching out one hand as though to touch his face. She dropped it before it got halfway.

Sora had no memories of his mother, but he wished he knew why she'd left. And where she'd gone. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he held his hands out at his sides, taking a deep breath. Riku took the right one, and Kairi took the left one. His wings spread out as if in battle stance, and nearly simultaneously Riku's mirrored him. The aura around Kairi deepened to true color, spreading to encompass all three of them. The warmth seeped into Sora's core, a shining point of reassurance and comfort. He could feel her power, feel the energy seething inside her, and it was endless.

With Riku and Kairi both lending him strength, Sora took a deep breath. Never before had he attempted anything like this. Before he'd fallen, he'd never even left Heaven. _I hope this works._ "All right," he said aloud, "let's do this." And he sent their combined power spiraling into the rift.

-

_There is a hate burning here, a roiling emotion more tumultuous than storm-tossed seas. Unpredictable, vindictive, malicious, and bitter, it lashes out at anything it touches. It strikes to overpower, encompass, and destroy. It wants nothing more than to turn everything to the same wretched black that rots away its core. It hates. It burns. It seethes. It hungers. It wants something to fill its need. It wants something to understand why it hates so much. Why it feels so angry. What caused its anger._

_It is a timeless rush into oblivion, a mindless falling toward an unseen fate. It devours all it touches, because the hatred it feeds upon is the only thing that makes it feel alive. The only thing that soothes its fiery hunger. Sometimes it makes the hunger worse. But it feeds anyway, because it knows otherwise it will vanish. And it does not want to vanish. It wants to survive. It is afraid of disappearing._

_So it turns its fear into destructive raging. It revels in the terror, pain, and despair of the many victims who have fallen into its inescapable clutches. Some come willingly. Those it devours with gleeful abandon. Those make it stronger. And ready to hunt again. For its hunger never truly abates._

_It feels it. It feels the touch of bright, overwhelming power. In the open wound it created, spilling out like poisoned blood, something is spilling in. The light frightens it. But there is still something familiar about it. It realizes this inward rush of power is not trying to destroy. It is not flooding in with immense pressure as though intent on scouring it away. It is simply washing inside with a sort of curiosity, a desire to understand. And it knows this._

_The Darkness eagerly rushes forward, unhesitant as it accepts this intruder, this intruder that feels familiar because it is part of the Darkness. It has accepted the Darkness. It does not fear the Darkness. It makes a promise that the hunger will finally go away. That the Darkness will no longer have to be afraid._

-

Sora's eyes opened wide, but he saw nothing. He stared straight ahead in stunned disbelief, unable to move as the Darkness flowed along the power he sent into it, coursing deep into him, gleeful and almost desperately curious. This had happened to him before when he was trapped in its inky black coils. But there was a huge difference now.

It was not trying to devour him. It was merely exploring him, eager to find out what he was about. It bent whenever he pushed, yielding whenever he demanded. _The Darkness was obeying him!_

"Sora," he dimly heard Kairi breathe, "it wants to be part of you! It is actually asking you to . . . _tell it what to do_!"

He was beyond speaking, or he would have confirmed that. In fact, anything at all was beyond him. He could distantly feel his body trembling wildly as the Darkness flooded through him, skittering across his consciousness. When it pressed too hard, he instinctively pushed it away, and it went without hesitation. _I can't . . . I can't . . . what is this . . . I've never . . . what . . ._

"Sora . . ." Riku's voice came from very far away.

And then, it was done. The Darkness seemed satisfied with its exploration, and it fell still within him. It was still very much _there_. It felt as if an entity of burning ice had taken up residence just beneath the surface of his skin. It did nothing more than that, simply staying with him. When Sora gave it an experimental push to see if he could make it leave, it resisted like a petulant child that would not let go of its mother's apron.

"Can—" he began, finding his throat too dry to go on. Swallowing thickly, he looked at both Riku and Kairi. "Can you feel that?"

They were both staring at his hands they held in their own. Both looked as shocked as he felt. Apparently they could.

Kairi recovered first. "I've never . . ." she tried. "Never have I seen the Darkness act like this. It's almost like . . . I don't even know what it's like."

"Does it hurt?" Riku asked, finally meeting Sora's eyes.

"No," Sora said slowly, "but it's not entirely pleasant. It's the Darkness we're talking about. It feels . . . cold."

"Look at the rift," Kairi whispered, effectively capturing both their attentions.

Where once had been a veritable chasm of writhing Darkness, now was a sluggish cavern. A layer of glimmering white spread over the top like a delicate gossamer veil. The Darkness did not in any way try to push at the light, break free, or escape. In his mind Sora felt it was simply waiting now, ready to follow his lead.

Sora realized he was utterly exhausted. So much so, in fact, that he wasn't sure he could walk away from this spot without collapsing. What happened next was something he would eventually learn to control. The Darkness reacted to that as though it were an unspoken command. A hole appeared in the air with a sound grating to the ears, and the Darkness pulled the three of them inside itself. The hole vanished. Moments later a hole of light appeared in the blackness, and the Dark pushed them out in an entirely place.

The house, Sora realized with a kind of numb shock, where Riku had taken him and Kairi what felt like forever ago. His knees buckled. Riku and Kairi caught him, helping him into the house. It had become their unspoken meet-place on Earth, so Cloud and Aerith were already there.

Cloud immediately scooped his brother up and carried him to one of the bedrooms. "What happened?" he dimly heard his brother ask the other two.

"We . . ." Kairi said slowly, "we don't really know."

_Come, come, come . . ._ the Darkness whispered. _Here, here, here . . . tell us . . . tell us . . . your plan . . ._

Sora couldn't fight it any longer. His eyes slid shut and he fell into a deep, unforgiving sleep.

* * *

Whoa . . . I really have no idea what's going to happen next . . . I _totally _was not planning on any of that . . . 


End file.
